The Hunt

“There’s an unfinished building here, abandoned for a long time. Usually, besides homeless people, basically no one goes there.” The lean young man zoomed in on his phone map, pointing to a location. “It probably doesn’t have surveillance cameras.”

“Is it far from where we are now?” Wen Yiqian quickly asked.

“Very close. Riding an electric bike there would take at most three or four minutes.”

“Can you still ride with your leg like that?” Wen Yiqian looked at the other’s injured leg with some concern.

“Don’t worry, it’s just an electric bike. I can drive it with one hand!”

…

An unfinished building stood silently in the darkness, like a slumbering giant beast.

The electric bike stopped in the open space in front of the building. Wen Yiqian climbed off the back seat and looked at the taxi parked nearby.

It’s really here.

Wen Yiqian’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.

He walked forward and confirmed it was the right taxi, but the lights were off and there was no one inside.

He couldn’t help but turn his head to look at the towering unfinished building beside him.

“Holy crap, could that criminal be hiding inside? It’s just like in the movies, so thrilling.” The lean young man spoke with excitement written all over his face.

“You wait outside, responsible for calling the police and telling them the exact location.” Wen Yiqian gave the instruction and walked toward the unfinished building.

“Hey, wait, Officer, I can help you catch that criminal!” The lean young man patted his chest, full of confidence. “More people means more strength. I’m very brave and I definitely won’t hold you back.”

“Haven’t you figured out what the situation is?” Wen Yiqian took a deep breath, suddenly turned around, grabbed the other’s collar, lowered his voice, and said sharply, “This isn’t a game. It’s not a movie.”

He stared hard into the other’s eyes. “That guy stabs you, you’d feel pain, you’d bleed… you’d die.”

“This world doesn’t need heroes.”

“You stay outside. Even if you see that guy running later, don’t try to stop him.”

“What you need to do is hide quietly, remember which direction he runs, and then tell the police. Understand?”

Those sharp words hit like a bucket of cold water. The lean young man snapped out of his daze and stood frozen on the spot.

Wen Yiqian patted his shoulder and turned to run toward the unfinished building.

“You say this world doesn’t need heroes. So what are you doing right now?”

The lean young man’s voice followed him from behind.

A bitter smile crossed Wen Yiqian’s face as he rushed into the darkness without looking back.

Who wouldn’t understand the logic that more people means more strength? He simply felt the lean young man had already done enough and didn’t want to drag him in any further.

Wen Yiqian had never intended to play the hero. With his courage, he couldn’t be a hero anyway.

He was terrified right now, his body trembling.

But compared to his fear of death and criminals, he was more afraid of finding the bodies of that grandmother and granddaughter.

If such good people died at the hands of a psychopath he had created, Wen Yiqian could never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

…

Top floor of the unfinished building.

“Jump!”

Tian Buyi, wearing a red mask, shone his flashlight on the grandmother and granddaughter standing at the edge of the balcony, sobbing uncontrollably. A sick gleam flickered in his eyes.

He waved the sharp kitchen knife in his hand, watching the terror on their faces, excitedly bouncing on his heels.

“Jump, hurry up. Don’t make me do it myself!”

“What grudge do you have against us? Why are you doing this?” The old woman shielded her granddaughter in her arms, her face twisted with fear as she cried out.

“Grudge? Hatred?” Tian Buyi sneered, shaking his head. “Have you ever seen hunters in the forest?”

The question left the old woman at a loss.

“Tell me: what grudge or hatred does a hunter have against their prey?” Tian Buyi pulled his red mask down to his chin, revealing the face beneath.

“Hunters and prey have no grudge or hatred to begin with, yet prey are born to be hunted. That is the law of nature. And I am the hunter. You are the prey. Understand?” He shone the flashlight upward onto his own face, grinning to reveal a mouthful of yellowed teeth bared.

The sight was horrifying. The grandmother and granddaughter trembled with fear and screamed.

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from behind. Tian Buyi, who had been savoring his hunting moment, startled and quickly spun around, sweeping his flashlight toward the source of the sound.

A young man, drenched from head to toe, lay sprawled across a pile of broken bricks.

Tian Buyi’s expression shifted with confusion. What was this guy’s deal?

That young man was, of course, Wen Yiqian.

He had just reached this floor when he spotted the psychopath forcing the grandmother and granddaughter toward the edge.

Tian Buyi had his back turned, completely lost in the pleasure of tormenting his victims. It was a heaven-sent opportunity.

If he could just sneak up behind the guy and crack a brick across the back of his head, it would all be over.

Wen Yiqian picked up a stone and crept forward.

But in the darkness he couldn’t see where he was stepping, and before he got close he tripped over a pile of broken bricks and fell flat on his face.

Not only had his sneak attack failed, he had also given himself away.

“I was drunk and took the wrong turn. Do you believe me?” Wen Yiqian looked up at the kitchen knife gleaming coldly in the other’s hand and forced a laugh.

“I believe you.” Tian Buyi grinned, his yellowed teeth bared, making his face look even more ferocious.

Before the last word had left his mouth, he tightened his grip on the kitchen knife and charged forward.

Witnesses must die.

Wen Yiqian scrambled to his feet and ran.

He had gotten so swept up in playing the lone hero that his inner chuunibyou had taken over completely.

It was only now that Wen Yiqian finally came to his senses: he was, after all, just a fool.

If this were online, he would have been brave and fearless, going at this psychopath with his keyboard for three days and three nights without blinking.

But being chased by a knife-wielding maniac in real life, he only wished he had two more legs.

A model student like Wen Yiqian had barely been in a fight in his life, let alone faced a knife. Even if one were placed in his hand right now, he wouldn’t dare use it.

In this critical moment, Wen Yiqian moved like a rabbit fleeing a tiger, more agile than he had ever been in his life.

He flew down several floors of the stairwell, putting half a floor between himself and the psychopath.

But in the darkness, he missed a step and went down hard on the landing between two floors.

The pursuing psychopath couldn’t help but sneer. Seeing that the other couldn’t get up anytime soon, he was in no hurry.

Kitchen knife in hand, he pressed the blade against the wall and advanced step by step toward his target.

The grating sound of metal scraping stone echoed through the corridor.

“The hunter is about to begin the hunt once more.”

“This time, it’s a foolish rabbit.”

(End of Chapter)