Chapter 26: The Blood Bull
The Hunter named Youhun was experienced and cunning. After receiving that strange aura notification earlier, he immediately retreated a kilometer away and set up his sniper rifle to observe the situation.
Youhun was waiting. He was waiting for those contractors who had participated in the Five Kage Summit and returned laden with spoils. If their condition was poor, he would strike immediately, snipe them from a distance until they lost the ability to move, then extort them, rob them clean, and silence them to avoid future trouble.
As for those who returned laden with spoils but were uninjured, Youhun wouldn't provoke them. He was like a hunter waiting for prey, patient and composed.
The cold wind howled, and the falling snow somewhat obstructed Youhun's vision.
When the snow thinned slightly, Youhun's pupils contracted. Through his scope, he spotted a Minotaur, 835 meters away.
Youhun's finger rested on the trigger. That Minotaur 800 meters away was heavily injured. The gruesome wounds on its body clearly indicated severe damage, and its sickly green complexion suggested it was poisoned.
After a moment of hesitation, Youhun chose not to act for now. This Minotaur was likely a summon, not worth exposing himself over.
But a few seconds later, Youhun realized something was wrong. That Minotaur was walking straight toward him.
Seeing this, Youhun didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger.
Pfft.
The sound of the sniper rifle, equipped with a suppressor, was peculiar, like the hiss of compressed air.
Whoosh~
A silver bullet, its surface covered in intricate patterns, flew toward Amu. Wherever the bullet passed, snowflakes were shattered.
As Youhun pulled the trigger, he had already predicted the outcome. The enemy's head would explode like a watermelon. This bullet was a custom-made round he had spent 200 Paradise Coins to craft. If he weren't in the middle of the Five Kage Summit event, he would never have been willing to use such a bullet.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed, and Amu collapsed to the ground.
Hidden in the snow, Youhun pulled the bolt with a smooth motion, though his expression showed a hint of pain. After all, 200 Paradise Coins were gone in a single shot—it stung.
Perhaps Youhun should learn what it meant when the brigade's sniper cannon, Weini, fired a shot costing 7,800 Paradise Coins. With that kind of shot, anyone of the same rank who was hit would die.
Loading another bullet, Youhun leaned toward the scope to observe the fallen enemy.
About two seconds later, Amu sat up on the snow. He shook his head, then reached up to touch his forehead, where a bullet had flattened into a metal disc.
Amu peeled the disc off his forehead. Beneath it, fine cracks appeared on his skin, with faint traces of blood visible.
Amu examined the disc in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then tossed it into his mouth. Crunch, crunch—he began chewing it like a biscuit.
800 meters away, Youhun witnessed this horrifying scene through his scope. His mouth hung slightly open, his expression frozen.
"He... ate it."
Youhun blinked, clearly questioning his own sanity.
Just then, Youhun suddenly felt a puff of hot air on his face, causing his body to stiffen instantly.
Youhun turned his head stiffly and saw a dog's face staring back at him. It looked like a husky. This "husky" was grinning at him.
The shift in circumstances had exceeded Youhun's understanding. What the hell was this "husky" doing lying beside him in the snow? When had it gotten so close?
Youhun's mind raced, but he dared not move.
This "husky" was, of course, Bubu Wang. Even Su Xiao couldn't detect Bubu Wang when he was in stealth mode, let alone Youhun, a mid-tier second-rank contractor.
Bubu Wang had actually arrived beside Youhun a long time ago. He had witnessed Youhun load the bullet, fire, and then flash a confident smile.
At that moment, Bubu Wang thought, "How hasn't this idiot noticed me yet?" So he moved a little closer.
What left Bubu Wang speechless was that the sniper lying in the snow pulled the bolt, his expression focused, and the hot shell casing nearly flew onto Bubu Wang's nose.
Bubu Wang's heart was "crumbling." This sniper was practically a little deaf and blind. And judging by his stance, he seemed ready to take another shot at Amu. So Bubu Wang moved even closer, the hot air from his nose almost blowing onto the sniper's face.
The little deaf-and-blind sniper finally felt the hot air from Bubu Wang's breath, leading to the current scene: Bubu Wang and the little deaf-and-blind sniper staring at each other with wide eyes.
Just as the little deaf-and-blind sniper leaped up from the snow, ready to fight Bubu Wang, a terrifying aura appeared behind him. It was Amu.
For Su Xiao, Amu was too slow. His speed was garbage. But that was from Su Xiao's perspective. Amu's 69 points of Agility were already terrifying for a second-rank contractor, not to mention his charge skills. As for his 85 points of Stamina, that was a stat so high it was despair-inducing for second-rank contractors.
Youhun turned his head stiffly and saw Amu's bull eyes staring back at him. They were face to face. The white hot air from Amu's nostrils blew the little deaf-and-blind sniper's hair.
From a distance, Youhun couldn't sense Amu's aura. But up close, he felt the terrifying presence. He was certain of one thing: this monster's speed was no less than his own, and its strength was overwhelmingly brutal. As for its durability—don't even joke about it. He probably couldn't even break through its defense.
"That shot... must have hurt. Sorry about that."
Youhun's smile was awkward. He swore to the heavens that he was a cold-blooded killer. But that was before he met the combination of Bubu Wang and Amu.
In Youhun's eyes, this dog-and-bull duo was unstoppable. One was fast and strong, with monster-level durability. The other was even more terrifying, capable of approaching enemies silently. Youhun had never imagined that one day an enemy would be just 10 centimeters away before he noticed them. No, he only noticed because of the hot air they exhaled.
"Amu, hungry."
Amu's glowing red eyes fixed on Youhun. The little deaf-and-blind sniper's sphincter tightened. He thought this monster was going to devour him alive.
Bubu Wang sat on the snow, considering how to handle this sniper.
First, Amu had already subdued him. At this distance, Amu could kill him instantly. But what was the benefit of killing him? The answer was almost none. Killing a contractor with Amu had only a very small chance of dropping a Scarlet Card.
Without any benefit, extorting him was the best option. But Bubu Wang realized that extortion could lead to enmity, which was the worst-case scenario. It would be better to kill him on the spot and bury him.
Just as Bubu Wang was weighing how to both eliminate this contractor and gain something, the contractor spoke.
"Two... no, two esteemed ones, I apologize for my earlier offense. I was merely acting on instinct. For the harm caused to this bull brother, I am willing to offer compensation that will satisfy you both. Consider it compensation for mental distress."
Hearing this, Bubu Wang nodded. This guy was unexpectedly sensible.
Seeing Bubu Wang nod, Youhun breathed a sigh of relief. He was already planning how to escape and what to do afterward—namely, revenge. In his mind, he was being extorted today. He had always been the one extorting others, never the other way around.
Youhun's expression turned contemplative. Just then, Bubu Wang's eyes narrowed.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang suddenly barked. Amu behind Youhun reached out with both hands and grabbed him.
"Wait, I..."
Crunch, crunch...
"Ah!!"
Screams echoed across the snowy plain. Blood splattered. Youhun was nearly torn apart by Amu in an instant. Blood sprayed onto Amu's chest. The usually simple and honest Amu, in front of Su Xiao and Bubu Wang, revealed his ferocious side.
"Cough—"
Youhun's broken body twitched on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth. His arms were gone, his legs severely twisted, and over 80% of his ribs were broken. With only 29 points of Stamina, how could he withstand Amu's terrifying 79 points of Strength? He was nearly killed instantly.
"Why..."
Crunch!
Amu stomped on Youhun's torso, driving him into the snow. The sickening sound of bones breaking echoed. Youhun's twisted leg kicked once, and then he died outright.
Bubu Wang sighed. He had initially thought Youhun was sensible, but unfortunately, he recognized that look in his eyes. Having been by Su Xiao's side, he had seen too many enemies with that expression—one of unwillingness and a desire for revenge. To be fair, Bubu Wang, living in a cold region, had a very sharp mind.
Bubu Wang turned and walked back toward Su Xiao. Amu quickly followed.
"Amu, hungry."
Amu, trailing behind Bubu Wang, patted his stomach and spoke in a muffled voice.
"Woof (Hold on. You just ate an hour ago)."
"Oh~"
Amu scratched his head. Amu was aggrieved. Amu was unhappy. Where was the Amu who had just torn an enemy apart?