Not a Scaredy Cat quickly hid behind One Blade and One Sword, pretending to be shocked. The two took out their weapons and stood before her, preparing to deal with the man's possible attack.
"Let them in, Ivan." A man's voice came from the door behind the man. "They are my guests." The voice was polite and had a slight accent.
Hearing that, Ivan put down his gun and walked back to the door. He used his muscular arms to open the door and then looked at the players silently.
"Main quest triggered."
The system announced, and everyone could see the quest content in the menu. "Enter General Zaroff's castle and listen to his explanation of the game rules."
When Feng Bujue saw the quest, his expression changed quickly, and he mumbled softly, "General Zaroff … Ivan … Wait … I am a hunter … and I came here because of a shipwreck …" He suddenly raised his head, and his eyes were serious. "The most dangerous game … Richard Cornell." In the attic of his memory, the content related to this story appeared instantly.
When his inspiration ran dry, Feng Bujue would often read some short stories to relax. At the same time, he collected material, so he was quite familiar with the content of these novels.
If he was not mistaken, this scenario was a game of hunter, and Feng Bujue knew very well that the players would play the role of the prey.
After a moment's hesitation, One Blade and One Sword turned back to ask for Feng Bujue and Passing Rain's opinion. After all … if there was a good thing, everyone would fight for it. But if there was danger, it was best to have someone else do it for them. If they could not do it, they would ask for the others' opinion first. That way, if something happened, they could push part of the responsibility onto others.
Feng Bujue shrugged, sighed, and walked to the front. As he walked, he said, "Just follow the quest's instructions."
Ivan stood at the door like a ferocious giant statue, full of deterrence. However, Feng Bujue did not even take out his weapon. He walked past him like there was no one there and entered the castle.
Passing Rain followed closely behind. She had already caught up with Feng Bujue when he stepped forward, and was the second to enter the castle.
The remaining three looked at each other, but it was still One Blade who reacted first. He cleared his throat and said, "Well … that … let's go."
One Sword took advantage of the situation and said, "That's right. If they are in any danger, we can help them."
Not a Scaredy Cat nodded and followed behind the two. The three of them entered the castle gate one after another.
Ivan, who was standing at the entrance, used a condescending and vigilant gaze to monitor every player that passed by him, and only after all five of them had entered the castle did he silently close the door.
Inside the gate was a spacious hall with bright lights. The marble steps leading to the second floor were wide, and a well-built man in a tuxedo stood erect, watching his five "guests."
General Zarov was already past his middle age. He was tall and handsome. His hair was white, but his eyebrows and beard were still black. His eyes were also black and bright. Other than his distinctive facial features, there was something unique about his face. It was the presence of someone who was used to giving orders.
"I am very happy and honored to welcome all of you excellent hunters to my home," he said with a slight bow. "I am General Zarov." He introduced himself and made a gesture.
When Ivan saw Zarov's gesture, he put away his gun, saluted, and stood at the corner of the stairs.
"Please forgive my subordinate's rudeness, gentlemen … and of course, ladies." Zarov's unique tone made his every word sound like he had thought through every word carefully. "Ivan is a simple man, but he is a bit barbaric. He is unbelievably strong, but unfortunately, he is mute. God has given him some things and taken away some things … "When he said that, his expression was interesting.
"He looks like a Cossack," Feng Bujue commented. Of course, he knew that.
"That's right, my friend," Zarov replied. He smiled and squeezed out the words through his sharp teeth and bright red lips. "Me too."
He made another gesture, and Ivan quickly walked over and stood in front of the general. Zarov said a few words to him, but only his lips moved. No sound came out.
After Ivan received his orders, he left the hall and disappeared.
Zarov then said to the crowd, "Everyone, please follow me." As he spoke, he walked down the stairs and led the crowd to a corridor.
A few minutes later, they came to a large, medieval-style study. The floor was covered with a gray carpet, and the furniture and bookcases were heavy. In addition to a large number of books, there were many animal specimens, such as deer heads, zebra skins, and so on. There was even a standing grizzly bear.
"I have read all the books about hunting in English, French, and Russian. There is no other pleasure in my life except hunting. " Zarov walked slowly in front of his collection, as if he was showing off. "Did you see the head of the South African black buffalo?"
Feng Bujue replied, "Impressive."
"That thing caught me and threw me into a tree. My bones were broken, but in the end, I still took care of the beast." Zarov seemed to remember the hunt vividly.
Feng Bujue understood the meaning of these words. Based on the information provided by this line of dialogue, the players should have an idea of the strength of this boss.
"I think the South African black buffalo might be the most dangerous type of large game." Feng Bujue tried to match the words with Zarov based on the content of the novel in his memory so that he could get to the point as soon as possible.
The general suddenly fell silent for a moment. Then he cast a meaningful look and said slowly, "No, that is not the most dangerous." He walked to the desk and picked up a bottle of whiskey. He raised it and looked at everyone. "Want some?"
"No, thank you," Feng Bujue replied.
Zarov poured himself a glass. He took a sip and said, "On this island, which is my territory, I have invented an even more dangerous type of hunting."
"Invented?" Feng Bujue asked knowingly.
"Haha … Yes, invented." The general nodded with a smile. "You must be curious. How did you invent hunting?" He paused. "Of course, I am not God. I cannot create a dangerous animal out of thin air. However, I have discovered a species that has existed for a long time, but no one has ever hunted it before. They are not native to this island, but I can get them myself … "
"What kind of game did you introduce, general? Could it be a tiger? "Feng Bujue was still matching words with the boss.
Aside from Passing Rain, the other three were a little confused. They were all thinking, "This kid is too into the role. Does he really think he's the Hunter in the script?" Why is he wasting so much time with an NPC?
Zarov grinned. "No, I'm tired of tigers. I've had enough of them. Hunting tigers have lost their appeal to me. Those animals can no longer make my hands tremble … not even for a second. " He took out a golden cigarette case from his pocket and held a long black cigar in his mouth. The cigar had a silver logo on it, and when it was lit, it emitted a fragrant smell like incense.
"I am the kind of person who is born to enjoy danger, but most animals no longer make me feel threatened." Zarov blew out a puff of smoke. "God made some people into poets, some into kings, some into beggars … and I, He made me a hunter, the best, the strongest." His expression dimmed. "But after a period of happiness, one day, I realized that hunting no longer attracted me. You are also a hunter. Can you guess why?"
"If you view hunting as a sport, you always know you will win before the game starts, right?" Feng Bujue asked.
"Yes, I did not expect you to understand," Zarov said happily. Zarov said happily. "I always succeed in hunting my prey because they are just animals. They have nothing but their legs and instincts. But I am a human with intelligence. Using intelligence to compete with instinct is not fair. When I realized that, I felt so sad, so sad. " He took another puff of the cigar. "Until one day, I had an inspiration. I realized that there is something that I have not hunted before. They are the perfect prey because they can think."
At this point, other than Feng Bujue, the other four finally understood the basic situation of this scenario. General Zarov was an anti-human madman who hunted humans for the thrill of it. The mission stated that 'listen to the rules of the game' was the rules of the upcoming 'hunt.'
"Are you sure this is not a joke?" Feng Bujue replied in a serious tone. Of course, he had already confirmed that this was not a joke.
"I would never joke about hunting," Zarov replied. "I bought this island and built this house. The reason I am here is to hunt. This island is an unparalleled hunting ground. The forest is as complicated as a maze. It is filled with winding paths, cliffs, swamps, and most importantly, it is surrounded by the sea. Here, I hunt almost every day, and until now, I have never felt bored. "
"I am confused, Mr. General." Feng Bujue said. "There are five of us here. Can't we stop your crazy murder in the study?"
"Ha ha ha ha …" Zarov guffawed. "Murder? No, no, no … This is a game of wits, a game between the hunter and the prey. " His eyes scanned the five players. "As for the situation that you mentioned …" He raised his arm and made a gesture.
Ivan appeared out of nowhere with a tray in his hands. He served the general a cup of aromatic Turkish coffee. He placed the coffee down and stood beside Zarov like an iron tower. His eyes were like torches as he stared at the players present.
"Once, a group of Spanish sailors came to this island. I invited them to join me in my hunt, but they refused and showed obvious hostility," Zarov said calmly. "Ivan tore them into pieces by himself and fed them to the animals on the island."
Hearing this, Feng Bujue's expression changed. He did not remember reading the novel that described other wild carnivores on the island. "Excuse me … What kind of animals?"
"Ha ha …" Zarov smiled coldly. "There are too many of them … Pythons, coyotes, Bengal tigers, and so on … I wanted to make the forest more lively, so I brought in a lot of goods. Humans are not their first choice of food. Usually, they eat wild boar the most. Of course, it is a live wild boar. They have to hunt each wild boar by themselves. This is the only way the animals can maintain their wild nature. "
Zarov paused for two seconds. His smile widened as he said to Feng Bujue, "You don't look too good, my friend."
"Ah … Because I want to hear more about wrens or parrots … and not all kinds of wild beasts," Feng Bujue replied.
"Ha ha ha … You are very humorous." Zarov looked extremely happy. "Okay, now, let me tell you some things that you need to know about this hunt."
He walked to the window and pressed a button on the wall. "Do you see it?" The general pointed to the sea in the distance. A light quickly lit up there, but it was fleeting.
"The light from the lighthouse seems to indicate a route, but in reality, this route does not exist. The rocks curled up there are as sharp as razors. They are like sea monsters, and they can crush every ship that passes by as easily as crushing a nut, "the general said." I think the ship that you are on has sunk nearby. So, don't expect to escape to the sea to look for help. "
After showing off the ship's trap, Zarov walked to the window on the other side. He turned on a mechanism, and in the cellar below the window, the light flickered. The shape of the space below was very strange. Many large black shadows walked around, letting out low moans. Their eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
"As prey, hiding in one place and not moving is a very unwise choice," Zarov said. "My hunting dogs are well-trained. In my collection room …" He glanced at the animal specimens around him and grinned. "I mean … in my real collection room, there are many head specimens. Some of them are very clever, but in the end, they can't escape the jaws of my hunting dogs."
Zarov closed the window and stood in front of everyone again. "Okay, the rules are very simple. There are still five hours before sunrise. You can leave the castle at any time, and I will set out to find you in an hour." He put down the cigar and wine glass, stood with his hands behind his back, and stood in a military posture. "I don't want you to think that I am bragging, but … the number of prey I have hunted is far beyond your imagination. Whites, blacks, Indians, Mongols … There were a few prey that were indeed outstanding. They were resourceful, strong, and had great endurance and adaptability. But … I have to say, so far, I have not failed."
"What if you fail?" Feng Bujue asked. "I mean, as long as we survive until sunrise, you will lose, right?"
"Haha …" The general smiled confidently and said in a warm tone, "Then your efforts will be worth it. I will prepare a single-track sailboat for you and guide you to the nearest town on land. "
Zarov picked up the wine glass on the table again. "You can trust my promise. I swear on my identity as a gentleman, a soldier, and an athlete. Of course, you have to agree not to say a word about what happened here. "He lowered his voice." If you can really leave this place … "
"Current quest completed. Main quest updated."
The system notification sounded, and a tick was placed next to the original quest in the game menu. A new quest appeared.
"Escape from the castle and avoid General Zarov's hunt until sunrise."
"Time until Zarov sets out: 59 minutes."
"Time until sunrise: 299 minutes."
Other than the quest description, the time for these two tasks could be checked at the bottom of the quest bar, but it was not accurate to the second.
The general sipped his wine, and before the players left, he kindly and sincerely gave a few words of advice. "By the way, I suggest that when you are near the castle, try to avoid leaving footprints. That is a low-level mistake. Also, it is best not to go to the southeast corner of the island. There is a big swamp there. We call it the 'Swamp of Death.' There is quicksand there. There was once a guy who thought he was smart enough to go there. My beloved dog, Lazarus, followed him. In the end, both of them died in the swamp. You can't imagine how I felt. Lazarus was the best of my hunting dogs. It was a terrible feeling. "
Feng Bujue shook his head and turned to leave.
He also did not expect that after Zarov had given so many obvious hints, one of his teammates was actually planning an impulsive and foolish act.
In a flash, One Blade unsheathed his sword and charged forward. With a murderous intent, he unsheathed his sword and swung it horizontally like a charging bull.
The distance between him and Zaroff was only about five meters. When he saw Ivan at the castle gate, he had already taken out his sword from his bag and held it in his hand. Therefore, his attack this time was very sudden. The other four people present were all shocked.
One Blade had his own understanding of the plot. He believed that this was the best chance to kill this boss. There was no need for him to run away; he could just kill Zarov right there and then. If he ran out into the forest to face all kinds of unknown dangers, when he was exhausted, he would have the boss come after him with his hunting dogs. That would be a bad move.
Since the start of the scenario, only these two humanoid monsters had appeared in the castle, and they were just normal humans. How strong could they be? Their physiques were normal, and the weapons they used were normal pistols. From this perspective, this was about two centuries ago in the real world. These two bosses could not have possessed superpowers. Even if their physical fitness was set to be close to the limit of a normal human being, it would not have mattered because the combat ability of a player was also higher than a normal person's.
The key point was that One Blade had a very high confidence that he could take down this boss. His confidence came from a skill, the skill of Beginner's Blade — Decapitation.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
