Hunter's Inheritance

The town's peace has come to an end.

When Wei Ke walked into the street, he saw countless broken walls and ruins, as well as the corpses buried under the ruins. The survivors were cleaning up these things, their faces numb.

It was just one night, but it felt like a completely different world.

"Last night, it wasn't just the Wildfire Cultist wreaking havoc in this city, but also those Corpse Ghouls." Bai Wei stood behind Wei Ke, explaining slowly, "While you were looking for that Old Hunter, I also did some research. There are quite a few Hunter in this city, and it's precisely because of their presence that this town is more peaceful than other places... Of course, it's not just for that reason. The Corpse Ghoul don't seem to like coming here in the first place, although we don't know what the factors are... But it doesn't matter now, they've already come, and the Hunter who guarded this town are all dead."

Wei Ke clenched his fists tighter and tighter, and whispered, "Why is this happening?"

Bai Wei did not answer, and Wei Ke did not need his answer.

Because Wei Ke knew the answer; although his memory of last night was hazy, he still remembered what Wu De had said to Ryan.

"The light that shines into the darkness is the most dazzling."

Is that why?

Is that all?

After a long silence, Wei Ke spoke again, "Can I go see that Old Hunter?"

"Hmm?" Bai Wei said, "He only has a corpse left... no, to be precise, only a few pieces of his body left. Are you sure you still want to go?"

"Sure."

"Suit yourself then." Bai Wei shrugged, muttering to himself, "It's really strange, why are people in your world so interested in body parts... I'll lead the way for you."

Wei Ke shook his head. "No, I can smell his scent."

So, Wei Ke and Bai Wei went to the Old Hunter's house together.

Just as Bai Wei said, the Old Hunter Ryan is now only a few charred pieces of his body, just like Ulu and Jie La Er were back then.

However, when Ulu and Jie La Er died, Bai Wei was unable to personally collect their bodies, but he did so for Ryan he had only met once.

However, simply retrieving Ryan's body was not a wise move, as it could very well make Wei Ke suspect that Bai Wei was watching from the sidelines last night.

But how should I put it?

Bai Wei couldn't convince himself that such a hero had no one to claim his body after his death, and was ultimately burned by the townspeople as if he were a dead Wildfire Cultist.

That's why he made such a rather unwise decision, which made him start to wonder how he should answer if Wei Ke asked him.

Fortunately, Wei Ke didn't ask that question; once inside, he just stared blankly at the remains.

Okay, looks like I was overthinking it. This guy doesn't have that much brains.

Wei Ke stared blankly.

On the wreckage was Ryan's tattered Black Hat, which made people subconsciously think that he was still alive and dozing by the fire pit just like last night.

Only upon closer inspection did they realize it was just a wreckage.

"He died saving me," Wei Ke suddenly said.

"Yes," Bai Wei nodded. "He died trying to save you."

"He could have survived."

"Yes, he could have survived."

"Really, he had already escaped by then."

"I see. He had already escaped by then."

Bai Wei kept repeating Wei Ke's words.

This made Wei Ke's previously vague memories even clearer.

He recalled more things.

Ryan pulled him away, but in order to protect him, he was attacked even more and was eventually cornered.

But my memory of this point becomes hazy again.

He remembered what Wu De said to Ryan, and what Ryan replied.

But he couldn't remember what it was exactly. Even if he tried hard to recall, it only made his head hurt more.

"Father Ulu ..." Wei Ke said softly, "They call me Saint."

"Yes, I know."

"They said I should be one of their kind."

"I see."

"...But am I really one of their kind?" Wei Ke turned to look at Bai Wei. "I can't remember anything, I don't know anything."

Do you consider yourself to be the same kind of person as them?

"I don't know, I really want to say no... but I'm just like them." Wei Ke lowered his head, looking at his hands. "I remember last night I turned into a monster just like them. I fought them with my claws and teeth. I can do all their movements, I can understand their language... so aren't I the same kind of people as them?"

As he said this, Wei Ke's hands trembled slightly again.

"I was never Hunter from the beginning, but Wildfire Cultist. I should have been on their side. If I hadn't lost my memory, I should have been one of the monsters who stormed into this town and started slaughtering people last night."

Wei Ke's hands were shaking more and more violently.

In Bai Wei's vision, Wei Ke's light brown eyes were gradually turning green, and hair was slowly growing on the back of his fair hands.

"And Ryan died to save me, this monster... to save me, this monster."

Wei Ke's waist was bending downwards little by little, and he would soon be on all fours.

"I am the same kind of person as them."

Seeing this, Bai Wei calmly asked, "Then why are you fighting them?"

Wei Ke was stunned.

"If you're the same kind of people as them, why fight them to the death?" Bai Wei repeated.

Wei Ke's transformation froze, and he muttered to himself, "Why did I fight them to the death..."

"Yes, you can't remember anything, you're not aware of anything, but you're still fighting them desperately. Why is that?"

Wei Ke opened his mouth, but couldn't answer.

"This guy left you a gift."

Wei Ke looked up, slightly bewildered, at Bai Wei: "A gift?"

"Yes, calling it a gift isn't quite right, because you might not want it." Bai Wei rummaged in his pocket. "When I arrived last night, this guy was by your side, barely clinging to life, but he still held on, wanting to wait for you to wake up, just to give you this... Ah, found it."

Bai Wei pulled a vial of dark red blood from his pocket.

Wei Ke asked, puzzled, "This is..."

"This guy's blood is... the Hunter's Blood," Bai Wei said calmly. "He told me that after the death of the Senro God, the power of Hunter can only be passed on through blood, and the birth of a Hunter is always accompanied by the death of another Hunter."

Wei Ke was stunned. He seemed to have guessed something, but he couldn't believe it.

"Yes, this is the Hunter's Inheritance," Bai Wei said. "By receiving this vial of blood, you will become his successor, and also the last Hunter of Senro."

Bai Wei handed over the blood.

"So, are you going to accept it?"

Wei Ke instinctively took the blood vial.

The moment his fingers touched the blood vial, his last, hazy memory became clear.

He recalled Wu De's last conversation with Ryan the previous night.

"I don't understand. You've already left, why did you come back... You should be able to see that he's not like you."

"You are not the same kind, because you are monsters, while he... is not."

In an instant, Wei Ke's hands stopped trembling.

The eerie green in my eyes, and the bristles on the back of my hand, were rapidly fading.

The body, which had been bent like a wild beast, slowly straightened up.

It seemed that only in this way could he hold onto the vial of blood... though he himself didn't even realize it.

"It seems you've accepted it." Bai Wei shrugged. "In this way, the Hunter tradition of Senluo hasn't been completely severed."

Wei Ke was still hesitant. "I don't know what to do."

"That's up to you," Bai Wei said. "You are the last person to possess the Hunter's Blood, so only you can decide what kind of person you want to become in the end."

Bai Wei's meaningful words made Wei Ke frown again, but this time his confusion didn't bother him for long, and his eyes quickly hardened.

"I need to find out the truth."

"That little dog's?"

"...It's not just A De's," Wei Ke said. "It's also the Wildfire Cultist, the past of this land, and I need to find out exactly what the Senro God and the Wildfire Cultist are all about."

Can you do it?

"I don't know," Wei Ke said softly, "But I have to do it because I'm probably the only one connected to both sides, and only I can do this."

"It's good to have this idea," Bai Wei said, looking into Wei Ke's eyes. "But if we delve deeper, it might bring back more memories, including some unpleasant ones. Is that alright?"

Although Wei Ke's reactions had always been somewhat slow, this time he understood Bai Wei's hidden meaning, so after a brief silence, he gave a firm reply.

"But in the end, I remembered something, I learned something, or it turned out differently," Wei Ke said. "I will always remember who I am and what I am supposed to do."

"Really?" Bai Wei said with a light laugh, "Then do you remember what else you need to do after you've finished all these things?"

A look of confusion flashed in Wei Ke's eyes. "Is there anything else besides these?"

Bai Wei waited a while, and when Wei Ke still couldn't recall, he reminded her, "Have you forgotten your first Hunter's commission? You haven't brought that message back to that little girl yet."

Wei Ke suddenly realized. "Oh, right."

"Tsk, with such a poor memory, he still claims he won't forget things."

"I, I didn't forget!" Wei Ke tried to argue. "I just... temporarily forgot."

Then, the more she talked, the redder her face became.

"Whatever you want." Bai Wei shrugged and turned to leave. "You can use this guy's blood first... By the way, just a heads up, this vial of blood is for injection, not for drinking."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Tsk, illiterate."

Wu De stopped in his tracks.

To be precise, they finally stopped.

Because he had been running since last night without stopping to rest at all.

He was afraid that if he stopped, that guy would catch up with him.

Fear became his most effective motivation, but even so, after running like crazy until now, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and had to stop and rest.

So, where did he end up?

Wu De felt dizzy and for a moment he couldn't tell where he was.

When he ran away last night, he was thinking of running straight back to see his boss.

However, Wu De then remembered that his boss was at a critical juncture, and no one could see him, not even himself Chief.

But if there's no way to see him, where can he go?

Should we go find other Chief?

That's even more unlikely.

Since he had lost all his men and was seriously injured, it would be unwise for him to seek out other Chief at this point.

The Wildfire Sect believes in the law of the jungle, both externally and internally.

So for a moment, Wu De didn't know where to go, and in his panic, he ran to a place he didn't even recognize.

So what should we do next?

Are you waiting here for the boss to become the master?

But will last night's unexpected situation really not affect the boss's final path to advancement?

Wu De felt unusually agitated and began pacing back and forth.

Just then, he heard a light footstep beside him. His expression immediately froze, and he subconsciously thought that the guy had caught up with him again, so he prepared to run away again.

But when he lifted his foot, he suddenly realized that he still had a nose.

So he sniffed it, and then put his heart and feet down.

It wasn't that guy; it was a completely unfamiliar smell.

Moreover, it doesn't smell very threatening.

In other words, were they just ordinary people who accidentally wandered into the deep mountains?

But would an ordinary person come to a place like this?

Wu De was somewhat suspicious, but he wasn't so frightened by the smell of ordinary people that he would run away, so he stopped.

Maybe we can even have a snack to replenish our energy.

As he thought this, he assumed a hunting stance.

The moment the other person showed themselves, he pounced on them.

Two minutes later, Wu De, with only half of his body remaining, lost all life amidst unbelievable fear and shock.

The man who suddenly appeared simply frowned and brushed the dirt off his body.

"What an idiot." He shook his head and prepared to leave.

But at that moment, he sensed something and looked at Wu De's corpse again.

After thinking for a while, he walked over to Wu De, pulled a piece of intestine from the corpse, and chewed it.

Then, he showed a look of surprise.

"It was actually there? That guy Hand Eye wasn't lying to me after all."

He grinned unconsciously.

The teeth in his mouth were as sharp as knives.