Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Wei Sen watched the Hunter warily. He was focused on wiping down the Hunting Gun in his hands, smiling as he looked at her.

Wei Sen remembered what the Little Red Riding Hood who had died on the first night had said: because she had taken a long detour through the forest, she hadn’t run into the Hunter.

If Little Red Riding Hood had gone out of her way just to avoid this man, then he definitely wasn’t one of the good guys!

The problem was, she hadn’t known this was the Hunter’s home. She had only been passing by, and now the Hunter had noticed her, with the Hunting Gun in his hands.

Even if she turned and ran, she couldn’t outrun a bullet.

All she could do now was stall him and deal with whatever came.

Having thought it through, Wei Sen looked at the Hunter and asked, “What do you mean, seeing me again?”

The Hunter smiled. “Oh? Didn’t we just meet a few days ago?”

So she wasn’t the first “Grandmother” to head south in search of answers!

The person the Hunter had seen a few days ago was probably one of the previous grandmothers.

“All right. Thank you. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.” After speaking politely, Wei Sen watched the Hunter’s reaction.

The Hunter slung the Hunting Gun over his back, pointed in a direction different from the path, and said, “If you’re going to Little Red Riding Hood’s house, take that road.”

Wei Sen followed his gaze. In the direction the Hunter was pointing, there really was another road hidden in the mist. If she hadn’t looked carefully, she never would have noticed it.

But that road led southwest. It didn’t match Little Red Riding Hood’s instruction to keep going south!

“Did Little Red Riding Hood tell you to keep heading south?” the Hunter asked again.

A flicker of surprise crossed Wei Sen’s eyes. How did he know what Little Red Riding Hood had told her?!

The Hunter’s expression grew even more solemn. He said gravely, “Don’t trust Little Red Riding Hood. She’s not a good person!”

“She’s my granddaughter. How could she not be a good person?” Wei Sen shot back.

The Hunter looked troubled, but his eyes were exceptionally sincere. “She hasn’t been your Little Red Riding Hood for a long time! Don’t you understand that? If you believe her, then why do you keep walking down this road again and again?”

“If she’s not Little Red Riding Hood, then who is she?” Wei Sen wondered if the Hunter in front of her might also be a player.

“She isn’t your Little Red Riding Hood anymore! Don’t believe a word she says! Otherwise, she’ll get you killed! The other road is the right choice. Trust me!” the Hunter said, his voice unusually agitated.

Should she trust the Hunter in front of her, or Little Red Riding Hood, who had tried to poison her with apple pie?

Wei Sen’s mind raced. She could confirm that Little Red Riding Hood was a player, but the Hunter before her looked like nothing more than an NPC.

Returning to the rules themselves, an NPC might be a guide, but it could also be a trap.

Misty Forest Rules, Rule Two: Other people live in the forest, but those who live here are not warm or hospitable. It is recommended that you do not associate with them.

Everything had to be based on the rules!

Since the people here were not warm or hospitable, then any sudden “kind” suggestion must have an ulterior motive.

And besides…

Although this man was dressed like a Hunter, with many weapons labeled Hunting Gun hanging in his home, his clothing was immaculate, the house was spotless, and there wasn’t even a single animal hide.

Perhaps what he hunted was not animals, but something else. For example… people!

That was why Little Red Riding Hood would rather take a long detour and avoid the Hunter even after dark, because he was extremely dangerous!

But judging from the current situation, the level of danger the Hunter posed to “Grandmother” and to “Little Red Riding Hood” seemed different.

The Hunter wanted to lure her onto another road. If she believed him and took that road, what awaited her would probably be the Hunter’s merciless hunt.

So for “Grandmother,” the Hunter would lie and guide her down the wrong road, causing her to violate his Killing Rule.

As for Little Red Riding Hood, it seemed that simply encountering the Hunter would trigger danger!

After figuring this out, Wei Sen gave the Hunter a smile and said, “Thank you, Mr. Hunter.”

With that, Wei Sen headed down the original path without looking back.

The Hunter watched her leave, his expression turning increasingly sinister as he stroked the stock of the Hunting Gun with a hideous grin.

///Ding~ (Newbie Hint) Current Host Danger Index: 95%!///

Had she chosen wrong?
Wei Sen had only just continued down the path when she abruptly stopped again and headed toward another road instead.

Seeing this, the Hunter gave a cold laugh.

“Do you think choosing another road will make you safe?”

“It only changes how quickly you die.”

“Oh, this is truly fascinating. What a wonderful day. My collection of princesses is about to gain another member.”

///Ding~ (Newbie Hint) Current Host Danger Index: 95%!///

Wei Sen stopped in her tracks.

Why was the Danger Index the same no matter which road she chose?

The problem wasn’t the road. It was… the danger the Hunter currently posed to her had reached 95%!

Wait!

Wei Sen suddenly realized something. They were both players, so why would the Hunter’s Killing Rule be different for Little Red Riding Hood and the grandmother?

If Killing Rules had varying degrees of difficulty, then the rules would be far too unfair.

And if the rules were meant to be fair, then the moment she encountered the Hunter, she had already triggered the Killing Rule!

No matter what she chose, she only had a 5% chance of surviving!

Letting herself be meat on someone else’s chopping block was absolutely out of the question!

On top of that, the sun was already sinking in the west. Before nightfall, she probably wouldn’t be able to get out of this boundless forest.

Once darkness fell, she could use the Wolf’s eyes in the bamboo basket to see the road ahead, but if she ran into a living Wolf in the forest, she would have to fight it head-on with only an axe.

That wasn’t exactly reliable either!

With that thought, Wei Sen made up her mind and turned back decisively. “Mr. Hunter!”

When the Hunter saw Wei Sen returning, he hurriedly hid the greed in his eyes. “Oh, what is it?”

“Mm. I remembered that Little Red Riding Hood really has been acting strange lately. I should trust what you said, Mr. Hunter.”

The corners of the Hunter’s mouth lifted in a nearly imperceptible curve. “Neighbors ought to help one another. Hurry along, then. Once it gets dark, the Wolf roams the forest. It’s very dangerous.”

Wei Sen did not leave. Instead, she walked toward the Hunter and took the remaining half of the apple pie and several green fruits from her bamboo basket.

“I can’t accept a favor without repaying it. To thank you, please accept this small token of my gratitude. I only brought this food to eat on the road, so I’ll share some with you.” As Wei Sen spoke, she deliberately added, “Oh, I ate half of the apple pie on the way here. If you don’t mind, it still tastes excellent.”

The Hunter looked at the bright, tempting apple pie and the green wild fruits in her hands, and a smile curled across his lips.

She had deliberately offered him the apple pie she had already eaten and the wild fruits, thinking he would choose the wild fruits out of disgust?

But wild fruits from the forest were clearly inedible. She was trying to harm him!

A sharp glint flashed through the Hunter’s eyes. Right in front of Wei Sen, he took a bite of the apple pie. “Apple pie left by a lady tastes even sweeter.”

Wei Sen smiled faintly. “Is that so? But I just remembered. Little Red Riding Hood gave me that apple pie.”

The Hunter’s chewing froze. He looked in disbelief at the vivid red apple pie in his hand, but it was already too late. He had swallowed it!

“You! You! You…” The Hunter clutched his throat in agony, unable to speak. He stared at Wei Sen in terror, having never imagined he would fall into her trap.

“Mr. Hunter, let me tell you one more thing. The green wild fruits taste quite good,” Wei Sen said with a calm smile.

The Hunter’s face quickly turned purplish-blue. He collapsed to the ground in pain, his whole body convulsing.

Wei Sen’s eyes remained calm and unruffled as she watched him twitch for a while before he began foaming at the mouth. Soon, he stopped moving altogether.

Even in death, his eyes were wide open, as though he had never expected to die by her hand like this.

Wei Sen put the green wild fruits back into the bamboo basket.

The rules had said not to share the information that the green fruits were edible with anyone. In other words, no one but her knew they could be eaten.

And the Hunter had died precisely because of that information gap, as well as his excessive arrogance.

He had been far too sure of himself when guessing at her thoughts, and that was why he had ended up like this.

Wei Sen took the Hunting Gun from his arms without the slightest hesitation.

With this thing, the Wolf didn’t seem quite so frightening anymore.

However, when Wei Sen opened the magazine, there was only one bullet inside. She searched the Hunter’s body as well, but found no spare ammunition.

She could only go inside the house and look for more!