### Chapter 34: Sea Without Light 34
“Hazard Avoidance” has been upgraded to “Absolute Prediction.” According to the Game System’s talent description, Kui Xin’s inherent talent upgraded because she correctly predicted the future developments multiple times using her intuition.
This proves that her fleeting thought regarding the cult murder case suspect targeting her is not baseless worry, but rather an existing fact.
The killer came to Tonglin City because of her.
What is his purpose? Why is he looking for her?
How did he find out about her existence?
After returning home, Kui Xin walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
The showerhead sprayed water over her head, seemingly cooling down her overheated brain.
From the police’s wanted poster, Kui Xin learned that the suspect in the cult murder case is named Fang Zhi. She is very sure that she had no previous interactions with anyone named Fang Zhi.
If it weren’t for the task issued by the system, if Fang Zhi hadn’t contaminated Kui Xin’s life, their fates would be like parallel lines, forever devoid of intersection.
Their only point of intersection is the “task.” Kui Xin decided to hunt down Fang Zhi; he was the prey she had set her sights on. From the moment Kui Xin accepted the task and confirmed her hunting target, her relationship with Fang Zhi ceased to be that of strangers and became that of hunter and prey, their destinies beginning to overlap.
She was just a stranger, so why is Fang Zhi looking for her?
They have no grievances and no conflicts of interest, but Kui Xin is 100% certain that Fang Zhi coming to find her is not a good thing. As a cultist, he certainly didn’t cross an entire city to come to Tonglin City just to befriend her, did he?
Kui Xin could only try to put herself in Fang Zhi’s shoes and ponder what his intentions were in doing this.
Kui Xin is heading to Jinshui City because that’s where Fang Zhi is; she is going to kill someone.
Is Fang Zhi coming to Tonglin City also to kill? Does he want to kill her?
That’s quite interesting.
The impetus for Kui Xin’s intent to kill is the task issued by the Game System; what could have sparked Fang Zhi’s intent to kill her?
There is no such thing as coincidences; a series of coincidences coalescing can become an inevitability.
Assuming Fang Zhi’s goal is to kill her, then what caused him to want to kill her?
There are no feelings of hate or intent to kill without a reason; Kui Xin thinks hard but cannot figure out when she might have offended Fang Zhi to the extent that he would travel far even at the risk of police pursuit just to locate her.
Could it be that the Game System issued a task to Fang Zhi as well? That seems a bit far-fetched.
The tasks from the Game System typically have vague indications, but Fang Zhi’s target is far too clear; he is indeed coming for her, which makes the guess that the system issued a task to him a bit untenable, though not entirely impossible… Kui Xin sets this thought aside for now.
There has been no intersection between Kui Xin and Fang Zhi in the past. Even if, for argument’s sake, they had intersected, their intersection would only exist in some future timeframe.
It can’t be that Fang Zhi can foresee the future, to the extent that he anticipated a future where she became his enemy, and thus he developed the intent to kill her, right?
Wait… this idea could explain things somewhat?
Kui Xin’s heart skipped a beat.
She turned off the showerhead, grabbed a towel to dry her hair, got dressed, and left the bathroom to pick up her mobile phone to call Su Rong.
“Hey? Rong Rong, I have something going on today, so I won’t be able to give you class this afternoon. How about I make it up to you next week for this missed class?” Kui Xin said.
Su Rong’s cheerful voice came through the phone: “Sure, Sister Xin Xin! Yay! I get to rest an extra day. My parents are at work, and I was still thinking of having you come over for lunch; we could order takeout.”
During the day while her parents work, Su Rong exclusively orders takeout for lunch.
Kui Xin is a dutiful and responsible teacher; she fears that Su Rong might lack self-discipline and not study properly, so she thought for a moment and said, “I’ll bring you a set of miscalculated notes that I compiled during my senior year. There are several types of problems that I explained yesterday; make sure to review them carefully.”
“Okay.” Su Rong replied, “I’ll definitely study hard.”
“By the way, the security situation isn’t too good lately; there’s a murderer on the loose in our area. Did you see the news this morning?” Kui Xin urged, “Don’t open the door to strangers.”
“I know, I’m 18 now!” Su Rong laughed.
Su Rong is likely a Player; the young girl is quite astute, keeping her mouth tightly sealed and behaving without any obvious flaws. If Su Rong received a regional task, she would be vigilant without needing Kui Xin’s reminders.
Near Su Rong’s home is a large supermarket with a wide variety of kitchenware. Kui Xin plans to select a useful knife in the physical store while delivering math notes to Su Rong at the same time.
After glancing at the delivery information, the Damascus kitchen knife she bought online is set to arrive tomorrow morning at the earliest. She can’t be without a handy weapon during today’s vacuum period, especially since Fang Zhi is in Tonglin City, and danger is close at hand.
After soaking in the shower, it was only 9:30. She dug out her collection of senior year notes and tucked them into her bag before heading out.
Arriving at the large shopping mall near Su Rong’s home, Kui Xin first went to the home goods section to select a knife.
The mall seems to be having a cookware promotion. The salesgirl enthusiastically introduced various models of kitchen knives. After listening to her introduction and checking the material tag on the back of the packaging, Kui Xin personally tested the blade on a sample before proceeding to the checkout.
This knife is a budget option, priced reasonably, with decent craftsmanship. Although the material doesn’t match Damascus, it’s simply made of regular alloy, which should suffice for a day.
After paying, Kui Xin went to the restroom to remove the knife from its packaging and slipped it into her belt, covering it with her clothing. Feeling the solid weight against her waist, her sense of security greatly increased.
The feeling of having a weapon in hand versus being unarmed is completely different; she could temporarily ease her worries.
……
On the other hand, Fang Zhi returned to the neighborhood where Su Rong lives.
He found a corner out of reach of surveillance cameras and quietly crawled over the wall when no one was looking.
The Female Hunter would definitely come today; according to the timeline from last time, she should arrive at the girl’s house this evening.
Therefore, Fang Zhi came to Su Rong’s house early to avoid running into the Female Hunter like last time, where he could be dealt with in one encounter. Additionally, he needed enough time to interrogate for information.
Reflecting on the last encounter, Fang Zhi felt his greatest mistake was failing to obtain the Female Hunter’s real name and home address. This time he had to force the information out. She is merely a high school girl; last time he didn’t have time to use cruel methods, and with a bit of leverage, she would undoubtedly struggle under his interrogation.
Fang Zhi had considered obtaining the Female Hunter’s information through alternative means, but he couldn’t think of another approach. He couldn’t just lurk by the entrance of the neighborhood to follow her, as the previous lesson had taught him that tailing was ineffective. The Female Hunter was far too perceptive, and his clumsy tracking skills would have been exposed to her like a child’s play.
Fang Zhi dared not carry out another ritual of sacrifice to inquire about the Female Hunter’s whereabouts; he couldn’t bear the erosion of madness from the whispers twice in such a short time and didn’t want to kill too many people, making it too easy for the Female Hunter to trace back to him.
His goal was to interrogate for information, just the information.
Once he obtained the intel, he could kill Su Rong. When the Female Hunter arrives at Su Rong’s house, she will see a grotesque corpse… What kind of expression will the Female Hunter have then? Anger, hatred, or despair?
But everything will be too late; he will escape early, hiding in a safe place waiting for his death rebirth count to reset, using that time to scout the area around the Female Hunter’s residence, selectively eliminating those close to her, making her watch those around her die one by one—yet powerless to do anything… Perhaps even kidnapping those near the Female Hunter would also be a good approach; he intends to slowly torment the Female Hunter’s nerves until she breaks down and roars.
The positions of prey and hunter will be reversed! She will no longer be the hunter and will not be able to toy with him like a cat catching a mouse!
After the death rebirth count resets, Fang Zhi plans to steal a gun and send the Female Hunter to the afterlife with a single magazine’s worth of bullets.
Just imagining that scene makes Fang Zhi want to uncontrollably laugh out loud.
With a beaming smile, Fang Zhi arrived outside Su Rong’s building, sneaking in through the fire escape into the hallway.
Then, his smile suddenly froze.
Because he saw the Female Hunter coming down the stairs, she looked up and they crossed paths.
Fang Zhi: Damn, why isn’t this woman following the normal timeline?!
……
“Really not staying for lunch?” Su Rong asked, “I ordered fried chicken for lunch, eating a whole one alone feels a bit guilty. If we split it, we can finish it, plus I also ordered stir-fried rice cakes and milk tea.”
“No, I really have something to do.” Kui Xin declined, “Maybe next time.”
“Alright.” Su Rong reluctantly pulled a can of ice-cold cola from the fridge and handed it to Kui Xin, “It’s hot outside; drink some cold drinks to cool off.”
“Thanks.” Kui Xin opened the door, “Organize the questions you got wrong yesterday into your error notebook. Remember to review the mistakes I marked for you; I’ll test you next class… um, and don’t open the door to strangers. I’m off now, goodbye.”
“I know! When I order takeout, I always have the delivery person leave it outside, waiting for them to leave before I go out to get it.” Su Rong waved, “Goodbye, Sister Xin Xin.”
Kui Xin turned and went downstairs. As she walked to the corner between the second and first floors, she suddenly saw a man wearing a hood and baseball cap, with an unclear face, standing at the stairwell.
She has faced life-and-death situations multiple times, and her assessments and predictions of danger have nearly become instinctual.
Having read criminal investigation books, she knows how to profile a person.
In a brief second, Kui Xin instinctively used the knowledge she had learned to analyze the state of the man before her.
His arm muscles are prominent, indicating considerable strength. His previous walk was somewhat hurried and disorganized, yet his footsteps were not heavy; on the contrary, he walked lightly, as if some joyful event had placed him in an extremely excited mood.
Kui Xin’s temples throbbed suddenly; sensing something was off, she tried to probe, “Are you a resident here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
Fang Zhi suppressed the trembling response, “Is this Building 15?”
Just like a mouse instinctively fears a cat, Fang Zhi felt a similar sensation in the presence of the Female Hunter.
The development of events surpassed his expectations; this woman was able to step outside the timeline. Her every move seemed unaffected by fate. According to the established timeline, she should be arriving at Su Rong’s house around the evening, yet now she has come early! How could this happen?!
“Building 15 is next door; this is Building 14.” Kui Xin assessed him.
“I’m visiting my father-in-law. It’s my first time here, and I’m lost.” Fang Zhi forced a natural smile, trying hard to appear nonchalant, “Thanks for the directions.”
Kui Xin stood over him on the stairs, “Sorry, I misspoke earlier; Building 15 isn’t next door.”
“Ah?” Fang Zhi was taken aback.
“Did you get it wrong? This neighborhood doesn’t have a Building 15.” Kui Xin said, “If you want, you can call your father-in-law to confirm the building number. Once you have clarity, I can show you the way.”
Fang Zhi: …
He couldn’t stop his heart from racing; he suspected that the Female Hunter had grown suspicious. He hadn’t fully grasped the layout of this neighborhood and didn’t know that there was no Building 15.
The Female Hunter knew, but she purposely said that Building 15 is next door.
Fang Zhi realized he had made a terrible response.
“No need…” Fang Zhi struggled to maintain his calm, “It’s alright; I’ll find my own way.”
Fang Zhi shrank back; he couldn’t confront the Female Hunter directly since his death rebirth count was exhausted; if he died again, it would be for real.
Fang Zhi turned to leave, trying hard to make his movements appear less frantic, but Kui Xin silently followed closely behind him. He quickened his pace, and she matched his speed; he slowed down, and she slowed down too.
Kui Xin maintained a three-meter safe distance the entire time, neither approaching nor distancing herself; she was openly following him.
Fear settled into Fang Zhi’s heart like a disease, deepening his anxiety.
He left the neighborhood, and Kui Xin kept following. He turned sharply through an alley, trying to shake her off, but she swiftly caught up to him. Fang Zhi intentionally walked through a crowd, hoping to obscure her line of sight, yet the moment he turned his head—damn, she’s still there! Unfazed and unyielding!
She was a wild wolf, a hunter; once she set her sights on her prey, she wouldn’t let him escape lightly.
The psychological defenses of the prey gradually crumbled. He felt like a weak and pitiful little rabbit, pinned under the foot of a wild wolf, being toyed with yet not consumed, merely having its sharp teeth licked, drooling in hunger.
After trailing behind him for a minute, Kui Xin quickly confirmed his identity.
He was Fang Zhi, the suspect in the cult murder case.
In criminal investigation studies, there is a discipline called “Footprint Study,” which analyzes a suspect’s characteristics based on their walking style and footprints to effectively track them. Kui Xin had read this book, and with her inherent talent “Rapid Learning,” she had mastered the theory; this was the first time she applied that theory in practice.
This morning, Kui Xin had reviewed the surveillance footage released by the police, and Fang Zhi’s walking style was eerily similar to the man before her.
Coupled with his odd behavior, she had basically confirmed that his real identity is Fang Zhi.
Cornered, Fang Zhi’s steps became increasingly erratic.
Suddenly, he spun around and shouted hoarsely in the middle of the road, “You madman… you’re insane!”
“I’m not; you are. How does it feel to have killed your wife, children, and parents?” Kui Xin stopped in her tracks.
“Hah.” Fang Zhi spread his arms, “You’re afraid of your identity being exposed, right?”
The Female Hunter was fully armed each time she went out; she hadn’t had time to disguise herself in her hometown of Tonglin City, which is why he saw her true self.
“You’re scared too; our fears are reciprocal.” Kui Xin said expressionlessly.
At that moment, they stood on the bustling roadside with three meters between them.
As they spoke, pedestrians passed by, and they tacitly maintained their silence, facing each other from afar.
“Do you dare to kill me in the middle of the road with so many people watching?” Fang Zhi growled lowly.
“Do you think you can outwait me?” Kui Xin sneered, “I’m a law-abiding citizen; you’re not.”
“If you report me, I’ll shout that you’re a Player right here on the road.” Fang Zhi’s eyes turned red, “If I die, you won’t fare well either; you no longer have any disguise on your face!”
“… I no longer have any disguise on my face?” Kui Xin repeated the line, confused.
“Now,” an extraordinarily interesting word. The opposite of “now” is “past” and “future.”
Her expression shifted from confusion to subtlety, then finally to realization.
“I understand now; so that’s how it is… it turns out like this.” Kui Xin comprehended, “This is your extraordinary ability.”
“You can foresee the future?” she muttered to herself, “No, it seems not that simple; something feels a bit off… Your ability isn’t foresight… what would it be then?”
Fang Zhi stepped back, filled with dread.
It was just a word; he simply used the wrong term, and the Female Hunter grasped the key.
“I find this quite interesting… Why are you so unafraid of death? Why did you come to Tonglin City, why is your target aimed at me?” Kui Xin asked, “To be honest, you… are quite mediocre. Your psychological endurance is lacking, and it seems you don’t have much combat skill. I’ve only followed you for a short while, and you’re already in a panic… Why are you so confident to the point of not fearing death in approaching me? If you truly can foresee the future, you should be able to foresee my abilities, right? I don’t think I’m weak… yet you still came here, boldly seeking me out.”
The Female Hunter contemplated, “Hmm… you wouldn’t really not fear death, would you?”
Fang Zhi could no longer maintain his composure; his eyes widened in horror as if he had seen a ghost.
The last time he drowned in the fountain, the Female Hunter had also said this line.
—“You wouldn’t really not fear death, would you?”
She has become disturbingly perceptive!
Kui Xin pondered for a moment: “It seems we are at an impasse. You don’t want to expose your identity, and I don’t want to either.”
“What do you want to do?” Fang Zhi’s voice was hoarse.
“Let’s let each other go, shall we?” Kui Xin smiled, “Mutual non-interference, and we part ways here.”
Fang Zhi brightened at this suggestion: “Sure!”
This is precisely what he wanted. Once his death rebirth resets, no one could do anything to him. He would remain in the dark while she stayed in the light; if he wanted to do something, wouldn’t that be as easy as pie?
Moreover, Fang Zhi believed he had grasped Kui Xin’s weakness—she was afraid of exposing her identity!
“Then that means we have reached a consensus.” Kui Xin smiled, “You can go now.”
Fang Zhi stepped back, then retreated two steps. Seeing that Kui Xin had no intention of pursuing, he turned and bolted.
Meanwhile, Kui Xin stood there, not moving at all.
Once Fang Zhi rounded a corner, Kui Xin muttered, “Fool.”
Fang Zhi is a total rookie with nearly zero tracking ability, while Kui Xin is a professional spy; Tonglin City is her familiar turf, and she possesses the extraordinary ability of Shadow Transition. If she truly wants to follow, no one will notice her, especially not this fool.
