With a pfft, Xia Feng spat out his gum, stood up, and strode toward the door. Without looking back, he tossed over his shoulder, “I don’t work for anyone. Find someone else!”
“It’s not a job—it’s an adventure. Or think of it as an unpreted All-Aroureme Challenge! A test of every limit a person’s got!” the host called after him hurriedly.
Xia Feng’s steps slowed, finally halting at the door, though he didn’t turn around. The host smirked faintly, took a shallow sip of red wine, licked his lips, and said leisurely, “A tury-old Martini from the Athena, sunk inti 1873—not something money alone get you. Don’t you want a taste?”
Xia Feng turned back, sauntering over to face the host. Casually pig up the wine gss on the desk, he tilted it, p the tents slowly over the papers until not a drop remained. Setting the empty gss down, he shot the host a challenging sidelong gnce. “What’s my reward?”
“Nothing,” the host replied, unfazed by Xia Feng’s stunt, even sipping his own wih relish. The ahrew Xia Feng off for a moment before he burst into ughter, mog, “What, there’s still fools out there w for free these days? Who’d do anything without a payoff?”
“There is—you!” The host’s expression didn’t flicker under Xia Feng’s taunts. Xia Feng’s face darkened. “You calling me a fool?”
Ign the gre, the host gazed at his own slender hand, musing, “Or maybe Jasina too. I’ve been torween you both all along.”
The anger in Xia Feng’s eyes faded. After a silence, he popped a fresh piece of gum into his mouth, shrugged casually, and said, “Alright, what’s the gig? I’ll humor my curiosity.”
The host looked up, a fleeting glint of triumph fshing behind his rimless gsses before vanishing. Instead of answering, he tered, “Ever pyed Real Illusion?”
Xia Feng snorted. “Only an idiot hasn’t.”
“Think it’s the ultimate extreme petition ground? Ever imagined a real showdown there?”
Xia Feng blinked, a strange look crossing his face. Baffled, he replied, “I don’t have the patieo slog through infand babbling just to grow up for some virtual match. Plus, Real Illusio have extreme rivals, and in that world, I wouldn’t even remember who I am.”
“You mean the real-memory suppressioure?” The host smirked fidently. “What if I told you I’ve got a way to keep your identity intact, skip the long childhood, and drop you into Real Illusion as you are now—o learn their nguage either? Would you still say no?”
A spark fred in Xia Feng’s eyes. “They say Real Illusion has cheat codes for memory retention and diretry. That true?”
“Of course it is,” the host grinned smugly, then sighed with regret. “Too bad those codes are about to expire.”
Excitement flickered in Xia Feng’s gaze but quickly dulled. He shook his head slowly. “An unfair match holds no appeal. And peting with normies? Pointless.”
“What about Dumas?”
“What?”
“Heard you cim you beat Dumas, which is why he skipped this Extreme Olympics.” The host flicked a g the aquamarine amulet peeking from Xia Feng’s shirt. “But did you know he’s in this city right now? While you were peting, he was oher side, snatg three top-tier items from me at the annual Real Illusion gear au.”
Shock stirred in Xia Feng, outweighed by fusion. The host locked eyes with him. “I don’t doubt your extreme sports chops, but I’d bet Dumas threw that fight on purpose—to dodge the spotlight and prep for a reme advehree straight All-Around King titles? Another win’s meanio him. He shelled out big for Real Illusion gear—he’s heading to Atntis. That’s where the real thrills and challenges he craves are!”
“Atntis? What’s he doing there?” Xia Feng frowned. “I heard the gaming allians to wipe it out. If Dumas goes now, he might not even finish a virtual childhood before that Cloud Universe world—and him—go up in smoke.”
“I’m not the only oh memory-retention and diretry cheat codes,” the host sighed. “Dumas has them too, and probably others.”
“What are they after there?” Xia Feng pressed again.
“That’s what makes this extreme petition iing!” A gleam danced in the host’s eyes. “I don’t know what Dumas wants, or who else might be going, but I’m damn sure he’s not vacationing in Atntis. Only an unmatched challenge would make him ditch the Extreme Olympi such a humiliating way. If you want to truly beat him, stop him! Kill him! Whatever his endgame is!”
Seeing doubt linger in Xia Feng’s eyes, the host grinned suddenly. “Aren’t you curious about Dumas’s moves? Don’t you want to know why he’s hitting Atntis? Don’t you crave a real deathmatch with him—a true Ultimate Hunt?”
“Something’s off,” Xia Feng sidestepped the questions, firing back, “What’s this got to do with you? Why’re you so obsessed with Dumas? What’s in it for you?”
“Curiosity!” The host chuckled. “Plus, I’ve got a grudge. Seeing Dumas flop is my greatest joy!”
“Don’t py me for a fool!” Xia Feng’s face hardened, stepping toward the door. The host shook his head with a wry smile. “’t fool you, huh? Fihe truth: I bet a friend I could outsmart All-Around King Dumas with my wits. Word spread quietly in high society. When Dumas secretly headed to Atntis, they dared me to use this ce to ruin him—take him down in Cloud Universe. Tons of tys jumped in on the wager, betting on Dumas to win. The stakes are astronomical, and I’m in too deep to back out. Losing means bankruptd a leap off a building. So, I need you—the best rider besides Dumas—to help me. Don’t you ache to take him down? Hunt him in Real Illusion?”
His pleading eyes locked onto Xia Feng, pitiful and desperate. Xia Feng wavered. The mention of Dumas ignited a fme of hatred in his gaze—a secret, a weakness.
Even without this request, learning Dumas was off to Atntis would’ve drawn him there anyway. So, he nodded. “Fine! I’ll be your fool this ono reward, just your pawn!”
“Fantastic!” The host cpped, etion bursting forth. “I’ll have my secretary brief you on sneaking into Cloud Universe with the cheat codes, then send you in. I’ve prepped a Real Illusion super-item for you—Cloak of Invisibility. Hope it helps. But listen: the diretry code’s cost is steep, and the system won’t let the same person trick it twice. You’ve got one shot—guard yame life! Let’s call this op Ultimate Hunt!”
“I’m running this show—no one’s calling the shots for me!” Xia Feng’s parting words rang out as he left.
Ohe secretary led Xia Feng out, the host’s pitiful expression vanished, repced by a smug glint. The room fell quiet for a moment before he tossed out abruptly, “Well?”
“One’s he other’s ing—like a fox and a mb teaming up,” came the instant reply from the dark er. “That gambling lie actually worked. Even got him soft-hearted enough to work for free!”
The host smirked triumphantly. “You don’t get it. Rich kids like him don’t give a damn about money. Offer a reward, and he’d scoff at us—too cheap. Skip it entirely, against all logid you spark his curiosity. People be that twisted!”
“But now there’s no guarantee he’ll do our bidding,” the er voice fretted.
“So what?” The host chuckled. “We never needed him to do much—just a decoy, a scapegoat. The fewer who know our real goal, the safer. I decided on the fly not to leak a hint of our pn to him. With Dumas crashing the party, let them slug it out.” His gaze shifted to the er. “Time for you to gear up—you’re the real star of this show.”
The shadow in the er stepped into dimmer light—a lean, upright figure in bck, average height leaning short, exuding a stark, solitary pride. A stray sunbeam slipped through the curtain, hitting his face, casting its gaunt pallor into stark relief—like a living corpse untouched by daylight. His dark, icy eyes flickered with an eerie, otherworldly chill. His age? Who could pin down a zombie’s years?
“Shame Dumas hose three top-tier items,” the host mented. “To sell the decoy act, I gave the kid Cloak of Invisibility. That leaves you with just Sky Eye a-Seizing Charm—tougher odds now.”
“You should’ve given him those too,” the man in bck said coolly, his voice brimming with innate fidend pride. “You know I don’t hem.”
The host studied him, admiration and trust growing in his eyes. Slowly, he extended a hand. “Good luck!” Their hands csped firmly.
