Chapter 25
Chapter 25
“Final… Destination?”
Qin Lan suddenly recalled a rather unpleasant memory.
If he remembered correctly, this was the unsolvable instance that several veteran Anomaly Hunters with A-rank Talents had once joined forces to challenge–only to die without ever seeing the anomaly inside.
The unseen “Death” had toyed with those Anomaly Hunters as though they were pieces in a game created solely for its amusement.
Whenever it wished, it could take anyone’s life in an instant.
“The instance that went out of control… is Final Destination?”
A chill seemed to seep between Qin Lan’s teeth.
What kind of god-tier luck was this?
He had only just received the alert, and the instance had caught him on his way back to the Safe Zone.
Despite the shock raging inside him, Qin Lan could only remain in his seat. He had lost control of his body.
Through the rain-smeared window, he could vaguely make out the traffic jam outside.
The oppressive heat made his thoughts sluggish.
The bus radio crackled in his ears. The storm disrupted its signal, leaving only scattered fragments audible.
[…today…]
[The bridge… gridlocked…]
[…all of them…]
[Unable… to leave…]
[…will all…]
[Remain… here…]
Qin Lan’s eyes bulged. “Holy crap! There it is! That’s the kind of ominous flag that practically screams someone’s about to die!”
“Are none of the other passengers reacting? That broadcast sounds incredibly cursed!”
“Let me off!”
[Special class mission triggered.]
The sudden notification cut off his rant.
“Huh?”
Qin Lan paused. Only then did he notice the unfamiliar entry in the instance information: “Special Class Present.”
A special class?
He searched his memory with some difficulty before finally recalling what it was.
An Anomaly Hunter’s abilities came partly from their Talent and partly from their chosen Curse Codex.
But there was one other way for an Anomaly Hunter to grow stronger.
A special class.
Certain unusual instances occasionally contained hidden missions with an extremely low chance of appearing.
Those who fulfilled the necessary conditions could obtain any number of different classes from the instance.
The Anomaly Hunter Bureau’s records contained many such examples, including mediums, cursecasters, and even one Anomaly Hunter who had acquired the class of “necromancer.”
Classes focused on physical refinement existed as well, such as “ancient martial artist” and “berserker.”
Every class had a different focus, a different level of power, and a different degree of rarity.
As for the claim that there were no useless powers, only useless wielders–that kind of nonsense was good enough to fool children, and no one else.
[The dense aura of death surrounding you has drawn Death’s gaze.]
[Escape certain death and earn Death’s approval.]
[Special Class Mission Objective: Escape from Death 5 times. (0/5)]
[Bonus Objective: Escape from Death 10 times. (0/10)]
Escape from Death?
Qin Lan’s heart sank. A dark cloud seemed to descend over him as a gaze from the Abyss fixed upon his body.
He could not see where it came from, yet it followed him like a shadow. It was as though an icy hand had closed around his heart.
The slightest twitch of those withered fingers could steal his breath.
But the hand sought nothing more than amusement, drawing pleasure from the terror of its prey.
[Death’s interest in you has increased.]
No matter how he looked at it, that did not sound like good news.
“That means Death is more likely to kill me now, doesn’t it?” Qin Lan gritted his teeth.
This was a 5-Star instance.
Even with resurrection, could he truly survive an encounter with a 5-Star anomaly?
Honk–
The blare of the bus horn made Qin Lan flinch.
Control of his body returned immediately afterward.
But the moment he moved, he sensed that something was wrong.
His body had become weaker.
Much weaker.
If he had to describe it, his current body was no different from when he first encountered the Slit-Mouthed Woman. He was nothing more than an ordinary human.
“How did this happen?!”
Qin Lan’s expression changed sharply. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Just then, an indifferent voice sounded beside him.
“Inside the Final Destination instance, everyone’s strength is severely suppressed. Only Talent abilities can be used to a limited extent.”
“Didn’t you know?”
Surprised, Qin Lan turned toward the passenger in the seat beside him.
It was a girl of breathtaking beauty.
Qin Lan had seen plenty of female celebrities beautiful enough to grace the billboards throughout the Safe Zone, but none had ever struck him as profoundly as the girl before him.
It was like seeing an angel in the mortal world.
Her exquisite face was a work of art into which an ancient sculptor had poured his entire life’s devotion. Not a single flaw could be found.
Her eyes were pure gold and possessed an indescribably sacred quality. She was undeniably beautiful, yet inspired no impure desire.
Only awe.
Her flame-red hair added a fierce, lethal edge to that sacred presence.
Strong.
Absurdly strong.
That was Qin Lan’s first impression of the girl.
Her gaze rested on him for less than a second before she reached a precise conclusion.
“You’re an Anomaly Hunter who entered by accident, aren’t you? You must have just received the warning from the local Anomaly Hunter Bureau.”
“You appear to know something about this instance, but clearly not enough.”
“Hmm… You’re probably 1-Star or 2-Star.”
She looked away, as though she had lost interest.
“In that case, you won’t survive.”
“There is no reason to waste words on a dead man.”
What?
Qin Lan’s face darkened.
“The hell?”
“Can this woman say one remotely decent thing?”
Still, the girl’s powers of observation and judgment were astonishing. A momentary glance had allowed her to infer almost everything.
Qin Lan studied her with some irritation, then spotted the golden badge she wore.
“Uh…”
For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
A 4-Star Anomaly Hunter?
One this young? Was this a joke?
The girl looked about the same age as him.
This truly broadened Qin Lan’s horizons. In his mind, 4-Star Anomaly Hunters were supposed to be aging fossils like Lu Xingshan.
How could someone so young have reached that level?
College students should be off playing games and dating. Pulling an all-nighter at an internet cafe would be fine too. Why would one join the Anomaly Hunter Bureau?
“Luan Zimo? You’re here too?”
A surprised voice came from the seat behind them while Qin Lan’s thoughts were still in disarray.
The red-haired girl called Luan Zimo paused as well and looked back, a hint of surprise reflected in her golden eyes.
Qin Lan turned to find an utterly ordinary-looking young man with black hair.
If anything, he had the face of a nameless background extra. The kind of face that could slip away unnoticed even if the police raided a massage parlor while he was browsing its illicit services.
The golden badge on his chest made Qin Lan’s expression twitch.
What was going on? Had the 4-Star Anomaly Hunters organized a team-building trip to the Fallen Zone?
Were ordinary people even allowed to live anymore?
Of course, this was only to be expected. After the instance went out of control, the only ones who would enter were unlucky victims like Qin Lan and experts supremely confident in their own strength.
It was perfectly reasonable for several 4-Star Anomaly Hunters to appear.
The black-haired young man smiled and greeted Luan Zimo, seemingly quite familiar with her.
Then he turned to Qin Lan and extended a hand with the same warm smile.
“You must be Qin. It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
Qin Lan stared in surprise and instinctively shook his hand. Only then did he react.
“Wait, wait… Who are you? Do I know you?”
That could not be right.
He had no memory of this man whatsoever.
Qin Lan searched his thoughts but could not find a single face resembling the black-haired young man before him.
“My junior brother has mentioned you several times since returning. He thinks very highly of you,” the young man said cheerfully, his manner friendly.
“I’ve been hoping for an opportunity to meet you. I never expected fate to bring us together here.”
Junior brother?
Qin Lan’s mind briefly stalled.
But he quickly thought of one possibility.
A moderately handsome face with a decidedly sleazy edge surfaced in his memory.
Qin Lan narrowed his eyes. “Your junior brother’s name wouldn’t happen to be…”
The black-haired young man smiled.
“Xue Chuan.”