Chapter 93: Chapter 4: The Game
As Yan Luo expected, it didn’t take long for a Hunter from Crimson No.1 to notice those provocative messages and engage in a heated argument online with the hunters around Yan Luo.
The more they argued, the angrier they got. Yan Luo watched them losing their cool and knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully.
Fortunately, he never intended for it to end peacefully from the start.
Yan Luo calmly reminded, "Don’t get carried away. Remember not to set the fight location in a crowded place. Although there’s a chance the Li Family might help us cover this up, we can’t rely on them. Just arrange for the fight to take place in a park where not many people go, to minimize potential property damage."
A sparse response came from those around him, their voices all filled with suppressed frustration.
Yan Luo quietly watched the argument between two Hunters from the small town, because he had chosen to provoke a fight in the Crimson No.2 online community, making sure the spat was still confined within the Crimson No.2 network for the moment, not spreading outside.
Even so, quite a number of people got involved.
Initially, it was only the hunters around Yan Luo who were provoking Crimson No.1 Hunters, but as the momentum built up, not only did local hunters join in, but so did ordinary residents.
Ordinary residents had long harbored dissatisfaction with the Hunters, not only towards those from Crimson No.1 but also towards local Hunters.
They just temporarily directed their anger toward the Crimson No.1 Hunters, with fewer complaints about others.
"It’s working," Yan Luo murmured to himself.
Just as Yan Luo had predicted, as soon as a hunter near him proposed a fight, the angered Crimson No.1 Hunter immediately agreed.
Seeing this, Yan Luo looked up, scanned his surroundings, found a relatively calm Hunter, patted his arm, and whispered, "Tell them this is a conflict between us and them, and prepare for a thirteen-on-thirteen brawl. We won’t have more people on our side, and if we do, we lose. Whoever doesn’t come, is a coward; whoever loses is a coward."
At this point, there were twelve hunters left around Yan Luo, including himself, that made thirteen.
They had been drinking and up all night, so their fighting power was certainly diminished compared to usual, but with Yan Luo there, their group’s combat ability could not be weak.
The Hunter Yan Luo instructed nodded, immediately composed a message, and sent it out.
The enraged Crimson No.1 Hunter quickly agreed and went to call for backup.
His swift agreement made Yan Luo seriously suspect he was a mole planted by the Li Family.
"Alright then, let’s move out."
Yan Luo directed the hunters to re-focus on the real world and head to the activity park located in the suburbs.
Rarely visited except by the nearby residents for a walk, the park didn’t have particularly valuable public equipment, so even if they trashed the entire park, they could afford it.
The group of thirteen boarded a bus bound for the suburban park.
When they arrived at the destination, they found that people were already there waiting for them.
Not Hunters from Crimson No.1, but a few young people prepping to livestream the fight.
"Hey viewers, look! Someone’s here! Leading the way... holy shit, it’s Yan Luo!"
Even though residents of the small town seldom watched Hunter skill competitions, knowing full well the state of the Hunters, they became familiar with Yan Luo after his reputation soared as someone who, as an ordinary person, hunted city-breaking level mutated creatures.
Yan Luo was already somewhat famous in Crimson No.2, which combined to earn him admiration among many residents of Crimson No.2.
The young person streaming was one of Yan Luo’s fans. Spotting Yan Luo, he uttered a curse in surprise before excitedly rushing up, shoving a camera towards Yan Luo’s face, and loudly asking, "Yan Luo, are you here to fight those Crimson No.1 Hunters?"
Yan Luo had no intention of hiding it; they’d all see soon enough anyway.
"Yeah," Yan Luo nodded, "those guys don’t respect the rules, so we came to teach them a lesson."
"Well said!"
A voice of approval rose from behind Yan Luo.
Yan Luo and the Hunters behind him turned to see Helena, with her arm around a man, stepping out of a luxury car.
The alluring woman smirked and nodded at Yan Luo, "Fighting later, huh? Count me in. I’ve been sick of those bastards for ages. Instead of hiding away like dogs in our turf, they actually dare to hurt the women in town. I’ve got to bash them up later!"
"No way!"
Yan Luo shook his head and firmly refused, "We’ve agreed, thirteen against thirteen, adding you would make us the outnumbered bastards."
Helena clicked her tongue in discontent, scanned the hunters beside Yan Luo, and casually pointed out one, "You! Yes, you! Switch with me! That way, it’s still thirteen against thirteen. Don’t worry, if you switch places with me, I can make sure you enjoy your time on Blue Star."
Helena’s prowess in bed was famous among hunters, and her offer made the chosen hunter’s face flush, while those around him cast envious glances.
"No switching!" Yan Luo spoke up, interrupting the exchange.
The hot-blooded hunter felt doused with a cold bucket of water and looked at Yan Luo in surprise.
"Most of the hunters from Crimson No.1 are Low-level Hunters. Having an Advanced Hunter like you join in would lead others to think we’re bullying the weak."
Saying this, Yan Luo turned to the hunter Helena pointed to and solemnly said, "If you insist on switching, we’ll rather fight twelve against thirteen!"
Helena’s face darkened, disgruntled, "But without using Engraving, there’s no difference between Advanced and Low-level Hunters."
Yan Luo shook his head, "There is a big difference. Advanced Hunters are far superior in both combat skills and awareness compared to Low-level Hunters. Helena, you can watch, but you absolutely cannot participate!"
Helena’s allure was ineffective in front of Yan Luo; no matter how she tempted him, he remained unmoved.
"...Fine!"
Giving Yan Luo a fierce glare, Helena dragged her male companion aside.
The hunter previously beckoned by Helena felt immensely disappointed, and the surrounding hunters sympathetically patted his shoulder.
This was where Yan Luo fell short, a little too unfeeling, yet he made sense. To avoid the accusation of bullying the weak, they’d rather not fight at all.
More and more people gathered at the park, mostly local residents.
Yan Luo stood with twelve hunters on one side of the open area in the park, quietly waiting for the Crimson No.1 Hunters to arrive.
Crimson No.1 Hunters, having rallied online, gradually started arriving at the park.
Half an hour after Yan Luo and his group reached the park, several individuals squeezed through the crowd to stand opposite Yan Luo, led by a bald white man with a centipede tattoo on his head.
The centipede man’s muscles seemed about to burst out from his clothes, his physique large and towering over Yan Luo by a half-head.
"Yan Luo? You’re their leader?" The centipede man, hands in his pockets, leaned forward, glaring at Yan Luo with an imposing gaze.
Yan Luo gazed at the centipede man on the opposite side, nodded slightly, and countered, "When will all your people be here?"
"They’re all on their way," the centipede man chuckled, seemingly meaning something deeper.
Yan Luo knew what they were up to; during the online spat, both sides only set the number of Crimson No.2 Hunters involved but never specified how many Crimson No.1 Hunters could participate.
"Will they all arrive within half an hour?" Yan Luo asked again.
The centipede man laughed heartily, "They’ll definitely all be here within half an hour!"
By this point, Yan Luo was pretty much certain that the man before him, or someone connected to this man, was affiliated with the Fields Clan.
This was Crimson No.2, Yan Luo and his group’s turf. If the Crimson No.1 Hunters dared to act unfairly here, it would definitely incite collective anger.
In such circumstances, only the Fields Clan could protect them.
This brawl not only represented a conflict between the two groups of Crimson No.1 and Crimson No.2 Hunters but also symbolized the struggle between the Li Family and the Fields Clan.