Chapter 2: Shattered
Su Xiao's brows were tightly furrowed as he first checked the details of the main quest.
[Main Quest: Arrive at Yorknew City]
Difficulty Level: Lv.2
Quest Brief: Due to an error in the teleportation location, the Hunter must arrive at Yorknew City before the auction begins.
Quest Info: Yorknew City is a bustling yet decadent city, controlled by multiple mafia groups.
Time Limit: 6 natural days
Quest Reward: 1000 Paradise Coins
Quest Penalty: Deduct 1000 Paradise Coins and forcibly return; this derivative world yields no benefits.
...
As expected, the initial main quest was simple. The reason was an error in the teleportation location. Reincarnation Paradise could fix the error, but the Space-Time Power required would need to be borne by the Contractors. Perhaps judging that most Contractors couldn't afford this burden, Reincarnation Paradise didn't fix the error and instead issued a simple main quest, offering a small perk of 1000 Paradise Coins.
Not all Contractors were like Su Xiao, whose overall rating generally ranged between A- and S. Most Contractors fell between D+ and A.
That was precisely why Su Xiao grew stronger so quickly. Contractors who had experienced the same number of derivative worlds as him were nowhere near as powerful.
Closing the main quest, Su Xiao, still frowning, opened the Hunt Quest. This hunt quest gave him a very bad feeling.
[Hunt Quest: Eliminate the Gentleman Alliance]
Quest Brief: Use any means to completely eradicate the Gentleman Alliance.
Quest Info: The Gentleman Alliance consists of five Violators. The Hunter must eliminate these five Violators.
Time Limit: Before leaving this derivative world.
Quest Reward: Gold Honor Medal ×1, one opportunity for derivative world multi-selection (before entering the next derivative world, the Hunter can choose one of three derivative worlds to enter).
...
"Five?"
After reading the quest info, Su Xiao habitually took out a cigarette.
A full five Violators, and they had formed a small alliance. This was undoubtedly challenging the limits of Reincarnation Paradise's rules. They shouldn't be called the Gentleman Alliance; the Doom Alliance would be more fitting.
Moreover, Su Xiao thought of a very bad scenario: these five Violators might have sensed the existence of Hunters, so they were banding together. Not only that, but if the five Violators were scattered across the world, the thought alone was a headache.
The Hunt Quest had to be completed. Su Xiao didn't want to go to a War World as a "referee." He didn't want to experience that kind of "soul-stirring" ordeal a second time.
Su Xiao decided to head to Yorknew City first. The Gentleman Alliance would converge in that direction. At this point in time, that place offered the most benefits.
"Stop staring, Bubu. Let's go."
Just as Su Xiao took two steps, he suddenly stopped.
"Oh? Looks like luck is on our side."
[Warning, warning. Traces of Violators detected within one kilometer. Tracking function activated.]
[Violators are moving. The Hunter must complete the tracking as soon as possible.]
A simulated map appeared before Su Xiao, showing the detailed terrain within one kilometer. Two red dots were moving rapidly—these were the Violators, and there were two of them.
Su Xiao swung himself onto Bubu Wang's back.
"East, 30-degree direction."
Bubu Wang immediately understood Su Xiao's intent and bolted out of the alley.
The streets of Qilu City were brightly lit. It was a gambling city, with more foot traffic at night than during the day. Bubu Wang running down the street inevitably drew the attention of passersby.
A girl in a peaked cap glanced sideways at Su Xiao, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"This is... way too arrogant. But that aura full of bloodlust... he must be a freakishly strong guy."
This girl was a Contractor. Not only her, but across the street, there were three more Contractors.
Due to the deviation in the teleportation location, all 146 Contractors who had entered the Hunter world were now gathered in Qilu City.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao wouldn't make such a blatant move. But this was a golden opportunity to clean up the Violators. If he could take out all five in Qilu City, that would be best. The teleportation error was a godsend.
After Bubu Wang sprinted for two minutes, Su Xiao signaled for it to stop. The two Violators had also stopped, in the next block.
Realm Severing Thread shot out, and Su Xiao climbed to the roof of a building over fifty meters high. He quickly ran to the edge on the other side, concealed his aura, and looked down.
There were quite a few pedestrians on the street. A black car was parked by the roadside, with two people inside. On the passenger-side window, Su Xiao spotted a few drops of blood.
Stealing a car right after entering a derivative world—this was very different from the usual behavior of Contractors.
Although they were over a hundred meters apart, Su Xiao could sense the auras of the two.
One had a berserk aura, like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. The other's aura could only be described as nauseating. With his keen perception, Su Xiao could almost smell a stench—no, it was the stench of a corpse.
The two inside the car seemed to be talking, but the distance was too great for Su Xiao to hear.
A sneaky figure approached the black car—it was Bubu Wang, who had activated its "You Can't See Me" skill.
At this moment, Bubu Wang was disguised as a stray dog. Apart from its weight being off, there were no other flaws.
Bubu Wang walked past the wheel, wagged its tail, and a bug stuck to the car door.
The Violator in the passenger seat suddenly turned his head. After lowering the window, he suspiciously examined Bubu Wang. This Violator had cracked lips, a pale face, and faint cracks visible on his skin.
"What's wrong, Withered Corpse?"
The Violator in the driver's seat had just joined the Gentleman Alliance and was on high alert about everything.
This "newcomer" had a burly build. The air in front of his mouth and nose distorted as he exhaled; his internal body temperature was extremely high.
"Nothing, just a stray dog passing by. Number 5, no need to be tense. When Contractors see us, they can only beg for mercy on their knees."
Withered Corpse's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together—very unpleasant to hear.
"I'm not Number 5..."
The newcomer Violator was about to speak, but Withered Corpse turned his head.
"Since you've just joined the Gentleman Alliance, you have to use a code name. Forgot the boss's words so quickly? Your former name and code name must be discarded. You'll get a new title later. For now, you're Number 5. And by the way, you're the third Number 5."
Number 5 fell silent, but a fire seemed to burn in his eyes.
"The boss is too slow. How long do we have to wait?"
Withered Corpse took out a piece of raw meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and began chewing slowly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Su Xiao heard their entire conversation. He hesitated—should he strike now, or wait for their boss to arrive and take them all out at once?
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao could handle one Violator, but two would be a struggle. As for three, he likely wouldn't stand a chance.
After a moment of consideration, Su Xiao decided to act. He would take out these two first. If he waited around and all five Violators gathered, it would be a joke—he wouldn't even have a chance to make a move.
The Spider Empress appeared in his hand. Su Xiao was using the upgraded Spider Empress for the first time.
He pulled the bolt to chamber a round. Since the distance was close, he adjusted the "Optical Infrared Scope" to 4x magnification.
Suppressing his killing intent, Su Xiao set up the Spider Empress and brought his eye to the scope.
The crosshairs aligned with the Violator in the driver's seat. He decided to take out the weaker one first. To test the Spider Empress's power, he aimed for the torso.
With his current level of Firearms Mastery, he no longer needed the Spider Empress's built-in aiming function. His own judgment was more accurate.
Holding his breath, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot tore through the night sky. The stock pressed against Su Xiao's shoulder, and his body leaned back slightly. The recoil of this gun was too strong; his 58 points of Strength barely allowed him to control it.
Cracks appeared in the concrete roof beneath his feet, a testament to the recoil.
A bullet flew out of the muzzle, tearing through layers of air. Due to its extreme speed, the bullet tip began to glow red. Fortunately, the bullet was made of special metal, or it would have affected its trajectory—another reason bullets were expensive.
The bullet first pierced the car roof, meeting no resistance, as if the metal roof didn't exist.
In an instant, the red-hot bullet tip drilled into Number 5's chest. Dense cracks spread around the wound, and the vivid red muscle tissue was clearly visible. Number 5 looked like a ceramic jar that had been struck hard.
With a cracking sound, his shattered body splattered inside the car. Number 5's torso was directly blown apart. A pale rib stuck into Withered Corpse's shoulder.
The bullet's momentum didn't diminish. After penetrating the car's chassis, it left a blackened hole in the road.
Blood dripped down Withered Corpse's face. His eyes were wide open to the extreme. He swallowed hard and looked down at the head resting on his legs. He was a bit stunned.