Waiting to Die

"The prey has shown up, but who will the hunter be? I hope they appear soon. Please don't wait until I'm dead like Tang Hao before making an entrance..."

Xia Xu had no other options now. All he could do was silently pray that the protagonist of "Hunter" would appear soon.

A hunter would obviously be there to hunt the prey. At the very least, they should be a match for that unidentified creature. And judging by the usual plot conventions and the title, the protagonist would certainly win in the end.

Saving the world and eliminating the threat weren't his job. His only task now was to survive until the protagonist appeared, and avoid becoming a sacrifice used to show how savage and powerful the monster was.

"This feeling... I'm utterly helpless."

Having his life depend on luck left Xia Xu deeply unsettled. It felt as though he had lost control over his entire life, and his sense of security had all but vanished.

He didn't want to sit around waiting to die. But after thinking it through carefully, he realized that unless he dropped out of school and moved away immediately, he could only drift along with the current. There seemed to be no way to fight back or break free.

First of all, seeking protection from the police or another government agency was clearly unrealistic. What was he supposed to say? That he was a supporting character in a movie plot, that the plot was now unfolding in reality, and that a monster was coming to kill him?

They would probably take him for a lunatic the moment he opened his mouth. If he ran into someone with a strong sense of responsibility who liked to get involved, they might even send him straight to a psychiatric hospital.

As for protecting himself, that was even more absurd. This was the Xia Kingdom. Firearms were out of the question, and even carrying a blade around was difficult.

Unarmed combat was barely a possibility, but developing actual fighting ability wasn't something he could do overnight. Never mind his measly one-star combat talent-even five stars probably wouldn't be enough.

Besides, if learning a few fighting techniques let him take on the "prey" in "Hunter," that prey would be far too pathetic.

After considering every angle, protecting himself through his own abilities was essentially a dead end. The only remotely viable option was outside help.

With the authorities ruled out, the only outside help available was private security. The simplest, most direct approach would be to throw money at a security company and hire a few bodyguards.

But the same problem remained. Apart from those escorting armored bank vehicles, domestic security companies couldn't possibly arm their guards or bodyguards with guns. Whether they could help against an inhuman creature was another question entirely.

Ordinary guards or bodyguards would probably either become easy pickings for an inhuman creature or abandon him, their employer, and flee on the spot. He had neither access to nor the money for anyone truly powerful and willing to risk their life.

Anyone capable of fighting the prey like the protagonist of "Hunter," without even using firearms, would have to be an elite soldier at the very least. Even if he somehow met someone like that, the little money he had now wouldn't be enough to hire them.

So it seemed all he could do now was wait for "death," and pray he was lucky enough that the "prey" wouldn't come knocking.

Dropping out of school and moving away might seem like a way to escape all this, but it was actually a paradox.

If the monster wouldn't come after him because of the "plot" or some other special reason, then he wouldn't be in danger whether he stayed or left. Leaving wouldn't really matter.

After all, without his role as a supporting character in "Hunter," the odds of a monster happening to target him as an ordinary person were incredibly low. He still had Little White Flower's luck blessing him, too. There was no reason everyone else would survive while he alone died.

What was more, he could use his ability to view attributes to seek out good fortune and avoid danger. As long as he held on until the protagonist and the more capable supporting characters appeared, he could rely on them for protection. He might even gain some rare benefits along the way. After all, if "Hunter" developed as he suspected, its plot would already qualify as supernatural.

But if some special reason meant the monster was bound to find him, it would undoubtedly track him down even if he left.

And without the possible assistance of the protagonist and the important supporting characters, he would only die sooner. His death would be inevitable. He might even derail the plot completely, preventing the protagonist, who would originally have won by a narrow margin, from defeating the monster and causing an even greater disaster.

So no matter what he chose, it seemed all he could do was wait. "Luck" was his only support.

He could either bet on being lucky-that the plot had no inertia, that there was nothing special about him as a supporting character, and that the monster wouldn't come after him-or bet on surviving until the protagonist of "Hunter" finished the story and dealt with every threat.

Tang Hao's family and the school administrators remained at an impasse outside the gates for a while. In the end, the school didn't want the situation to escalate. Blocking the entrance and disrupting classes wasn't ideal either, so they invited Tang Hao's family into the administration building to discuss the matter.

Xia Xu didn't know how things developed afterward, nor did he have the heart to find out. He simply followed the gathering stream of students through the gates and went to his classroom as usual.

But under the circumstances, he clearly could no longer settle down to study or enjoy this so-called school life. His head was filled with the plot of "Hunter" and his own survival.

"Are you okay?"

Perhaps because she had noticed him spending the entire day in a daze, Tang Youxin took the rare initiative to approach him. Fighting back her shyness and ignoring the strange looks from others, she asked with concern.

"No. I think I'm sick. I don't have long to live."

Xia Xu slumped over his desk with his cheek propped on his hand, answering listlessly. Since he was already dispirited and frustrated, he really did look a little weak and seriously ill.

Tang Youxin immediately grew nervous and flustered. "Huh? Then... what should we do?"

"I think I'd get better if you wished me good luck."

As he spoke, Little White Flower's adorably naive reaction made him struggle to hold back a laugh, and his expression began to give him away.

"I'm not some immortal. Besides, who cures an illness with nothing but luck?"

Tang Youxin naturally caught on then. Perhaps because they were already fairly familiar with each other, she even muttered a quiet complaint, sounding a little indignant.

Still, after a moment's hesitation, she said, "G-good luck. Happy now?"

"I feel much better. But you're right. Who cures an illness with luck alone?"

Xia Xu gave a wry chuckle, finally regained a little energy, and stretched.

He stood up and loosened his limbs before rubbing Little White Flower's forehead. "Don't wander around lately, and don't go out at night. Understand?"

"Okay."

Tang Youxin instinctively nodded obediently. Then, perhaps feeling that her reaction was a little odd, she hurriedly added in a quiet voice, "I hardly ever go out anyway."

"Good."

Xia Xu had been planning to use Tang Hao's death to explain his warning. He paused briefly, then smiled.

It was just as well that he didn't need to explain any further.

"Boss, I asked around at the Times Royal Court Residential Complex today and got Zhang Jianmin's exact address. And just now, I saw a middle-aged man with a square face go inside. He was drunk and reeked of alcohol. That should be the Zhang Jianmin you mentioned, right?"

At least today hadn't brought nothing but bad news. As the end of the school day approached that afternoon, Yang Bowen called to report his latest progress.

Although he had obtained Zhang Jianmin's address yesterday, he hadn't seen the man himself, so he couldn't be completely certain. Besides, he only knew which residential complex the man had gotten out at. Without the building and apartment numbers, that information was practically useless.

Now Yang Bowen had finally confirmed Zhang Jianmin's address and seen him in person.

"Yes, that should be him."

Yang Bowen's description matched the Zhang Jianmin he had seen last time almost exactly, so Xia Xu was fairly confident. He nodded slightly, then said:

"Keep an eye on him for now and find out where he usually goes these days. At the very least, make sure we can find him whenever we need to. Getting reliable contact information would work too. I'll also come over for a look later. Send me the location."

"Sure, no problem. Don't worry, boss. I'll watch him like a hawk. I'll send you the address right away."

On the other end of the call, Yang Bowen thumped his chest as he gave his assurance.

Xia Xu followed up with another question. "Wait. Any news about the old man at the construction sites I asked you to find?"

At that question, Yang Bowen immediately sounded a little sheepish. "Uh... boss, I checked all the construction sites you mentioned, but I haven't seen any old man selling antiques yet."