Chapter 26: The Chase
After the stone-spear native self-destructed, the other natives around lowered their heads in silence, as if this kind of thing had become commonplace.
A pungent, burnt smell wafted over, and within it, Su Xiao faintly detected a sour odor.
This tribe was becoming increasingly bizarre. If Su Xiao hadn't guessed wrong, this self-detonating stone-spear native was what Old Bal called a Blood Vine Warrior.
What exactly was a Blood Vine Warrior? A type of modified human without pain perception?
Su Xiao felt that was unlikely. Given the technological level of the red-skinned natives, modified humans were nothing more than a pipe dream.
His gaze shifted toward the tribe's back mountain. The secret was likely there.
But now wasn't the time. Until he obtained that compass, Su Xiao wouldn't fall out with these red-skinned natives.
Old Bal definitely had ulterior motives—that went without saying. However, to learn the secret of the back mountain and get the compass, he had to go through Old Bal.
The natives on the back mountain gradually dispersed. Old Bal stood still, staring blankly at the huge crater.
Su Xiao could clearly see fear in the other's eyes. Not just fear, but also a kind of desperation pushed to the brink of madness.
This old bastard might also be a so-called Blood Vine Warrior, capable of self-detonating at any moment.
The difference between Blood Vine Warriors and ordinary people was: no obvious pain perception, dull expressions, cruel and bloodthirsty, and extremely strong combat ability under sunlight.
The last point was something Old Bal had mentioned—true or false unknown—but Old Bal hadn't shown any dullness or bloodthirstiness. As for pain perception, that was still unknown.
Back mountain, Blood Vine Warriors, self-detonation, sunlight.
The clues were becoming clearer. Su Xiao vaguely sensed something.
Time reached midnight. Just as Su Xiao was about to find a stone hut to rest in, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
Su Xiao's brow furrowed tightly, his expression growing uglier.
[Warning: A contractor has learned the Hunter's identity. The Hunter must eliminate them personally.]
[A mark 'Hunt (Blue)' has been formed on the contractor. The Hunter can sense the location of the Hunt mark.]
[This identity exposure is unrelated to the Hunter. It was independently deduced by the contractor.]
[The Hunter must eliminate the informed party within 12 hours, or the Hunter status will be revoked.]
The series of notifications surprised Su Xiao. Since entering the survival trial, he had never communicated with any contractor. This notification was frankly baffling.
But identity exposure was no small matter. Su Xiao immediately sensed the 'Hunt Mark.'
The mark's location was neither near nor far, roughly 30 kilometers from Su Xiao.
Eliminating the contractor who knew his identity was the priority. Su Xiao quickly walked over to Old Bal.
"Provide me with some food and fresh water."
Old Bal, lost in thought, snapped awake.
"What?"
"Provide me with some food and water."
"You're leaving the tribe?"
Though Old Bal's tone was calm, he didn't want to let Su Xiao leave. His plan hadn't been carried out yet.
"Yes, going out to handle something."
Su Xiao looked at Old Bal, and Old Bal looked back at Su Xiao.
"Alright, I'll have someone prepare food immediately."
After weighing the pros and cons, Old Bal didn't stop Su Xiao from leaving the tribe.
Food and fresh water were quickly prepared. Su Xiao tied the supplies onto Bubu Wang, then swung himself onto the dog's back.
Pointing out the direction, Bubu Wang quickly ran toward the destination.
Though completely in the dark, Su Xiao mentally speculated on how he had been exposed.
After thinking for a long time, Su Xiao still had no clue.
It was no wonder he was confused. The scheming woman had guessed Su Xiao's identity purely through a few coincidences and her extremely high intelligence. Even if Su Xiao racked his brains, he couldn't figure out that it was the Red Spider Lily Adventure Group that had deduced his identity.
It wasn't that Su Xiao had exposed his identity, but that his identity had been guessed. What rotten luck.
Though Su Xiao was rushing at top speed, identity exposure was no longer a fatal situation for him.
First, he had already grown strong enough. He no longer worried about being surrounded and attacked like before.
Second, even if his identity was exposed, only two types of people would come to attack him: violators, or those who intended to kill him and take his place. The latter probably made up the majority.
As for ordinary contractors, Su Xiao wasn't concerned about being surrounded by them. He had already been through several derivative worlds, and large gatherings of contractors were rare.
The reason Su Xiao didn't want his identity exposed was to prevent attracting inexplicable enemies.
For example, some contractors who had committed violations but hadn't reached the level of being violators—upon learning of Su Xiao's existence, they might come to attack him.
Furthermore, there was the rejection from all contractors. No one would team up or cooperate with a Hunter. That was obvious.
Therefore, while identity exposure wasn't fatal, it was extremely troublesome and would severely hinder his future growth rate.
...
Red Soil Region. Night.
Inside a sparse forest, a figure swiftly darted through.
Just as the figure burst out of the forest, a green afterimage suddenly appeared—a finger-thick, emerald-green venomous snake.
Crack.
The snake's fangs snapped off. The green snake writhed in pain on the ground.
The forward-charging figure stopped. A protective barrier surrounded her body.
The scheming woman breathed heavily. There were no other teammates around, only her alone.
The scheming woman was the team's barrier master. Barrier masters specialized in large-scale control, requiring good overall judgment to know where to seal and where not to.
Unfortunately, while the scheming woman had high intelligence, her overall judgment was only average.
Looking at the two holes in the small barrier, the scheming woman felt a lingering fear. Without that barrier, she would be dead.
"I've really stepped in it this time. I found out something I shouldn't have."
The scheming woman deeply regretted it. She shouldn't have speculated about that blade-wielding man's identity. Killing him would have been fine, but guessing his identity was absolutely forbidden.
Now she had roughly figured out his identity, and it had brought disastrous consequences.
On the back of her hand, a blue mark was flickering. With her intelligence, the scheming woman immediately guessed what it was.
So she had shaken off her teammates and forcibly left the team, enduring a penalty of -3 to all attributes.
"It's not enough. This isn't a dead zone. Damn it. If only I could get into the black forest."
The scheming woman continued deeper into the center of the Red Soil Region. The edges of the Red Soil Region were home to red-skinned natives and insectoids, while the central area was infested with various ferocious beasts.
After running not far, a soft sensation came from under the scheming woman's feet.
...
On the grassland at the edge of the Red Soil Region, Su Xiao was pursuing the direction of the 'Hunt Mark.'
The enemy's numbers and strength were unknown. He would worry about that later. First, he had to catch up.
The night wind rustled. Su Xiao chased from behind, while the scheming woman fled ahead. Neither knew the other's situation.
After half an hour of pursuit, Su Xiao understood the other's intention. She was trying to escape toward the center of the Red Soil Region.
This indicated two things: she had realized she was being hunted, and she had a certain level of understanding of Su Xiao.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao reached the edge of the central zone of the Red Soil Region. From here on, he had to be wary of beasts appearing at any moment.
A water-barrel-thick green python slithered past not far away. The python had just fed, so it had no interest in Su Xiao.
Encountering such terrifying creatures was just an ordinary occurrence in the central zone.