Chapter 169: Divine Hunter Again

Shi Ji had never liked Divine Hunter. After giving him a lesson last time, he thought that would be the end of it. But now, running into him again was just inviting trouble.

He didn’t step out immediately and instead hid nearby. If he showed up now, it would be easy for  Divine Hunter to recognize him, and if things escalated and they came looking for him, that’d be a disaster.

Listening to Divine Hunter’s unpleasant taunts, Shi Ji couldn’t help but feel irritated. 

The Gatekeeper chuckled, “Yeah, it’s a bit pathetic, but at least it’s better than some people who hide from start to finish and never dare show their faces.”

The Gatekeeper stayed calm despite being injured. He knew what kind of person Divine Hunter was. Among the heroes in Yinshuang City, few had a good opinion of him.

Divine Hunter was visibly angered. It was obvious the Gatekeeper was talking about him.

“Pathetic and still running your mouth. How did someone like you even become the Gatekeeper?”

The Gatekeeper chuckled again. “You don’t need to worry about how I got the role. Just remember, the only reason you managed to scrape into the A-rank was because the Star Alliance needed another decent Cannon-rank hero. They let you slip by with lowered standards. Don’t think too highly of yourself.”

The Gatekeeper really despised Divine Hunter. Even in this situation, Divine Hunter could still talk like that. Not wanting to hold back, the Gatekeeper exposed some of Divine Hunter’s embarrassing history.

Divine Hunter’s face darkened, and hearing the snickers from the nearby B-rank heroes only fueled his anger. Now, as he glared at the Gatekeeper, he was truly tempted to attack.

Just then, the sound of vehicles approached from the distance. Upon closer look, it turned out to be medics from the Star Alliance arriving to assist.

The vehicle stopped by the Gatekeeper and his group on the side of the road. 

After the medics got out of the car, they didn’t even acknowledge Divine Hunter, who was still standing there. Instead, they quickly checked on the Gatekeeper’s group, loaded them into the vehicle, and sped away.

Divine Hunter was completely ignored as if he were just a random bystander.

He glared in the direction the ambulance had gone, his face darkening. Clenching his fists, it seemed like he had made up his mind about something.

At that moment, he noticed the sky to the east, where countless black specks floated in the distance.

Divine Hunter looked up and realized it was a massive swarm of anomalies, numbering in the hundreds at the very least.

His eyes widened momentarily, but his expression soon relaxed.

“That many monsters… better leave it to the S-rank heroes to handle.”

With that casual remark, Divine Hunter decided to forgo any effort to help and leisurely prepared to leave.

This irresponsible attitude was something only someone as extreme as Divine Hunter could have.

Not long after the anomaly swarm appeared, attacks from various parts of Yinshuang City were already converging on the group. While the attacks weren’t particularly effective, at least they were trying. They were putting in effort, something that Shi Ji deeply respected.

Divine Hunter’s behavior today had pushed Shi Ji’s patience to its limits. Without giving him a proper and memorable lesson, Shi Ji wouldn’t feel right.

As Divine Hunter walked away, Shi Ji, who had been hiding the entire time, finally stepped out.

“Looks like today’s cleanup isn’t just about anomalies. It’s time to deal with the trash hiding in the Star Alliance too. Alright, you’ll be my first target.”

However, Shi Ji had a brief moment of realization. Just recently, three other unlucky fools had encountered him and ended up being sent to the hospital.

After setting aside the issue of the monster swarm, Divine Hunter was completely at ease, as if he had no more cares in the world.

What he didn’t realize was that a familiar danger was quietly creeping up on him.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. 

When a person truly calms down, it’s then they notice just how unnervingly silent things can become.

Divine Hunter wasn’t an idiot. As he walked forward, his carefree attitude began to fade. In its place was a sense of pressure, a heavy and invisible tension. His pace slowed, becoming more hesitant until eventually, he stopped altogether.

Suddenly! Divine Hunter spun around quickly, scanning his surroundings, but saw nothing unusual.

A chill ran down his spine. He felt as though someone was right behind him. He spun again, even faster this time.

But still—nothing.

Despite seeing nothing, he knew that sensation wasn’t a mistake. Something was following him.

“Playing tricks, huh? Get out here! Since when do monsters get scared?”

Divine Hunter had confidence in his own abilities. Right now, he was convinced it was some anomaly creature stalking him.

Meanwhile, Shi Ji was lurking nearby, silently observing him.

If not for Shi Ji deliberately letting him sense something, Divine Hunter wouldn’t have noticed him at all. Shi Ji just wanted to give him a creeping sense of unease, to mess with his mind.

“Didn’t hear me, huh? Or maybe you’re one of those aliens without ears?” Divine Hunter called out again.

Shi Ji decided not to drag things out any further. His figure vanished from where he had been hiding.

Divine Hunter was still glancing around, searching for any sign of movement, but found nothing. Just as he was about to speak again, he felt a rush of air behind him.

“Behind me!!!”

Divine Hunter’s reflexes were sharp. The moment he sensed a disturbance in the air behind him, he spun around, launching a swift roundhouse kick.

But even with his speed, he was up against Shi Ji.

His kick hit nothing but air, leaving Divine Hunter stunned.

“Wha… what…”

In the blink of an eye, another chill ran down his spine, this one much deeper. It felt as if his entire body had frozen solid.

A heavy blow struck the back of his neck, and Divine Hunter’s vision blurred. His eyes closed involuntarily. Everything went dark. Once again, he was knocked out cold by Shi Ji’s signature chop.

After knocking Divine Hunter out, Shi Ji couldn’t help but taunt him.

“With that kind of strength, you’ve got the nerve to strut around like you’re something special? Lin Xinyan is way tougher than you.”

With that, Shi Ji gave Divine Hunter a solid kick.

He wanted to teach Divine Hunter a real lesson this time. Not only was Divine Hunter useless, but he was also in the way, potentially messing up the work of other heroes. Better for him to just stay in the hospital and be out of everyone’s hair.

Afterward, Shi Ji made sure to land a punch on every part of Divine Hunter’s body. His face, in particular, which annoyed Shi Ji the most, got a few extra punches.

As Shi Ji turned and walked away, he paused after a few steps and then headed back.

This time, he took Divine Hunter’s bow and arrows as a “trade.” He left behind the bow he’d snatched previously as a replacement.

Just before heading off to find Lin Xinyan, Shi Ji remembered the anomaly swarm still flying toward the city. Reluctantly, he took out one of his limited arrows and shot it at the sky.

After the shot, his eyes landed back on the unconscious Divine Hunter.

“Heh! If I run out of arrows, I’ll just steal some more from this guy. Genius!”