Chapter 27: Is He Really a Novice Hunter? The Struggle Begins!

"Troublesome."

Su Cheng glanced at the surrounding raiders. Utilizing "Detection," he dodged their gunfire even before they could squeeze their triggers. Coordinating with his particle-cutting long blade, he began a swift harvest.

He looked back at Chen Ze and his group; the turret-wielding raider had its back turned to him. A perfect opportunity! Chen Ze and his companions were effectively acting as bait. And that meant points!

He quickly cleared out a few small-fry raiders and sprinted toward the turret gunner.

Suddenly, a figure lunged at him.

The figure moved with incredible speed, appearing before Su Cheng in a blink. It raised its right arm high, a mantis blade ejecting from the limb, and slashed downward with lethal intent!

Detection!

In Su Cheng’s eyes, the mantis blade, which had been nothing more than a blur of speed, now seemed to move in slow motion. He tilted his body slightly, dodging the strike with ease, and then stepped back to evade the follow-up attack. Mantis blades were two-section weapons, designed for two-stage strikes. He knew this weapon design intimately—he had even modified one for Zhu Shan'er.

"Huh?"

The attacker was stunned. A surprise strike with a mantis blade, yet he hadn't even grazed his target! Moreover, he had clearly seen the blade about to connect, yet at the last moment, the target had simply shifted aside. It was uncanny—as if the man had seen through his intent and understood his weapon perfectly. And the target's own physical speed was immense!

Refusing to accept the outcome, the raider transitioned from a slash to a horizontal sweep. It was the same result! Even though it looked like a guaranteed hit, the man managed to evade it every time. This time, the man even anticipated the strike, launching a counter-attack.

The raider's titanium-tungsten mantis blade was sliced clean through.

Su Cheng finally got a clear look at his assailant: a raider with long, spindly limbs that nearly dragged on the ground. His entire body had been converted into machinery, and his eyes burned with madness.

"Fine. Very well. Just you wait."

The mantis raider leaped onto the wall, his limbs adhering to the surface as he scrambled away like an insect, his speed even greater than before! Su Cheng raised his pistol to fire, but missed. Without cybernetic enhancements to assist with aiming, he couldn't track the target, even with "Detection."

"Four legs are indeed faster than two."

Su Cheng turned his attention back to Chen Ze, blinked his exceptionally dry right eye, holstered his pistol, and drew his particle-cutting long blade, charging forward in a low crouch.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

The turret raider roared, priming its grenade launcher. The shells spun rapidly, ready to fire. Chen Ze and his group were in despair. They had no way to deal with the turret raider, even though the surrounding common raiders had been mostly wiped out. This single volley would kill them all.

Suddenly, a long red blade pierced through the turret raider from behind. Then, following the center line, it cleaved the enemy in two!

The gunner widened his eyes. "W-we're saved?"

The twin-blade user muttered in disbelief, "We really are saved. Who was it? Was it Rebecca or Remi?"

At that moment, Remi arrived. Two red mantis blades ejected from her feet, and she effortlessly sliced through the remaining raiders.

Chen Ze said in surprise, "It wasn't Remi?"

The twin-blade user was shocked. "Rebecca doesn't use blades either. Then who on earth saved us?"

The turret raider's corpse slowly split apart.

"How is this possible?"
"Am I seeing things? It was him?!"
"How is he still alive? And how could he have the strength to easily slice through that raider?"
"Is he really just a novice hunter? Why is he so strong?"

Everyone stared in disbelief at Su Cheng, who stood behind the fallen raider.

"As expected of the man I’ve set my sights on." Remi wasn't surprised; she had sensed from the start that this man was no simple person.

Chen Ze stepped back slightly, his head lowered, his eyes darting toward the particle-cutting blade in Su Cheng’s hand. He had tried so hard, constantly specializing his cybernetic eyes because it was the cheapest form of enhancement. His other cybernetics were merely Grade E, putting his combat power at the very bottom of the intermediate hunter tier. Yet, Su Cheng had already revealed two Grade B weapons! Two of them! And his combat power was so high—his own internal cybernetics must be of a very high grade as well!

How could a novice hunter possess so much high-end gear? Was he just rich? Did he wear rags on purpose to mock them, just to see them make fools of themselves?

Rebecca approached, having witnessed everything from a distance. "Come with me," she said to Su Cheng. "I need someone to protect me. The supermarket is secured; I can provide long-range support from the roof."

Her primary weapon was a technical sniper rifle, suited for high-vantage points where she could provide covering fire. Her single-shot damage output was no lower than a plasma cannon, and her range was even greater. But to provide that support, she needed protection. Or at least, that was the excuse. In truth, she had seen Su Cheng’s equipment and combat prowess. Though his clothes hid his cybernetics, they were clearly high-grade. A novice hunter with such luxury gear and strength could only be a member of the elite.

"No."

Remi looked at Rebecca with disdain. "He’s mine. You’d be wise to keep your distance." Her tone carried a subtle threat.

Rebecca frowned slightly. She didn't know Remi’s background, but her cybernetic upgrades looked equally luxurious, so she dared not offend her lightly. She turned to Su Cheng, her voice softening. "Would you like to join me? I’ll give you my share of the mission points."

The others were stunned. Rebecca was actually inviting Su Cheng to join her! Such an honor was something they had never seen granted to anyone before. Even Zhang Jie, an intermediate hunter, had been ruthlessly rejected by Rebecca in the past. And now, she was offering her own point weighting to Su Cheng! It was absurd!

Chen Ze’s eyes were filled with jealousy. How could a novice hunter get two beautiful women to approach him so eagerly?

Su Cheng shook his head. "No thanks."

A "hunter goddess"? She was nothing more than a gold-digger.

*What the hell?* He actually turned her down?!

The group stared in disbelief, thinking they must have misheard. Su Cheng had actually refused Rebecca’s invitation! The opportunity they dreamed of, and he threw it away! It was enough to drive a man mad with envy.

"Did you really think someone I’ve chosen would look at someone like you?" Remi mocked mercilessly.

Chen Ze quickly stepped forward, smiling obsequiously. "Miss Rebecca, I—I can protect you. I can detect danger in advance."

Rebecca didn't even glance at him, coldly spitting out two words: "Trash."

Chen Ze offered a forced smile, a flicker of malice in his eyes as he retreated to the back. *Bitch. You dare look down on me? Once I’m rich and have upgraded my cybernetics, I’ll make sure to break you, and I’ll tear that novice hunter apart right in front of you!*

"I can protect you too! My close-quarters combat style is perfect for guarding!"
"Me too! I have heavy firepower!"

Everyone was eager to be a pawn just to be near Rebecca. It would be a status symbol to brag about to other hunters; the points didn't even matter anymore.

"I’m heading to the roof to provide support." Rebecca ignored the others, walking toward the building alone. Before she left, she looked back at Su Cheng. "You can come find me whenever you like."