Chapter 170#
Hunting 21#
By the time Yu Feichen returned to the circus, the hidden threats in the surrounding streets had been cleared, and there was almost no movement. The pressure on the circus was instantly reduced.
Only the people at the very front line were still tirelessly and collectively attacking the entrance. Various props flew through the air in a riot of colors, looking quite unsightly.
At a street corner, several people suspiciously withdrew from the fray and looked around.
“Hey, have you noticed the people outside stopped setting fires?”
“Where’s the sniper? I haven’t heard a gunshot in a long time.”
“Damn it, they have us charging at the front, but where are they?”
“It’s so quiet.”
A black shadow of wings swept across the ground in a flash, but unfortunately, their attention was not on the ground, so they failed to notice.
Two minutes later, someone in the chaotic crowd at the entrance glanced toward the corner, only to see several figures lying scattered on the ground.
Taking down the few people in the corner was merely a side task; Yu Feichen didn’t join the melee at the gate because the more powerful attackers had already been selectively dealt with. He felt he could stop now. After landing symbolically on the high platform to inform Sheena of the situation outside, Yu Feichen flew to the balcony where An Fei was placed.
—Since he didn’t ask for money, Sheena actually felt a sliver of relief. She scanned everything below; in the twilight, the moving NPCs were gradually decreasing, and the presence of the guests became more apparent. People were still continuously swarming toward this direction, but now, without the pressure of resistance, everything was under control.
The time was about right.
Seeing that the threats in the distance and the sky had vanished, and the prying eyes from all directions were gone, Sheena curled her crimson lips, blew a whistle, and then hid herself with the greatest speed.
The “prey” struggling at the entrance heard the pre-arranged whistle, exchanged glances, retreated, and shouted at the top of their lungs: “It’s over!!!”
“We can’t hold them off!”
“Everyone, be careful!!!”
While shouting, they ran toward the southwest of the circus at their fastest speed.
There, a dark underground entrance was marked with “Happy Maze” in colorful letters.
The defensive line that had been under concentrated fire all day finally broke as desired. The hunters immediately drove straight in, rushing into the circus and following the fleeing prey into the underground maze.
Most of the subsequent hunters also swarmed into the maze. Another portion scattered into other buildings to search for lone prey.
From her hiding place, Sheena watched the hunters stream in continuously. Once they reached a certain number, she blew the whistle again.
Windsor, in the shadows, pressed the mechanism to close the main gate.
The beast-head gate of the circus slammed shut; from the outside, it looked as if the giant beast had suddenly snapped its mouth shut.
Sheena’s olive-green eyes sparkled with even more mirth: “I already said on the blackboard that there are countless secret passages and mazes for easy hiding, so why did you still come?”
She clapped her hands, and the heavy iron door of the maze also completely closed.
As the Goddess of Wisdom, she naturally possessed wisdom. For instance, she had long ago planned the paths for each person in the maze, ensuring they could shake off the enemy as quickly as possible, leave the enemy completely lost within, and then successfully escape through unexpected secret exits.
It just… still sounded a bit less-than-sophisticated. If it were Discipline, it could have been calculated quite simply…
If the vast sea of knowledge and books from various worlds stored in her head were one day linked to Discipline’s database, she wouldn’t be called the most knowledgeable priestess anymore.
Fortunately, Discipline was already at full capacity; if any more functions were added to him, he would explode.
Forget it, forget it. She was currently just a god managing the ledger of the Paradise!
The wisdom of managing finances was the most precious wisdom of all.
After a while, scattered prey left from another exit of the underground maze and reached the surface. Once all the prey had arrived above ground, a dozen or so people used strength-enhancing props to together laboriously pull the pitch-black heavy ball that Murphy had seized, perfectly sealing the exit.
“A female Bodhisattva has the virtue of loving life,” Sheena said. “Stay inside.”
After this group of people disappeared underground, the world suddenly became much quieter.
The current members of the circus also gathered sparsely in the center of the grounds.
Bai Song asked, “Are we considered to have passed this battle?”
“Of course not. The truly powerful ones are still watching. They have to wait until today’s fight is over to know the true strength of the circus before deciding whether to move against us. So, the people today are just a bunch of brainless little fools from the City of Mists who are the most impulsive, greedy, and easily used as pawns,” Sheena said.
She toyed with her wavy curls: “So, of course, we are going to finish today’s fight in the most peculiar way possible.”
For example, all the people lying in ambush in the distance losing their lives.
Or, for example, clearly being breached by force with hundreds of hunters entering, yet after one night, the hunters have all disappeared while the circus members remain safe and sound.
What matters is not the way they disappeared, but the result of their bizarre disappearance.
In a dark and sinister City of Mists, the sudden appearance of a paradise protecting the weak would naturally leave potential enemies confused, leading them to wait and see.
And having repelled so many people today, perhaps the powerful enemies might choose not to come for the sake of self-preservation.
So, even if the process was a bit comical and the plan lacked a bit of IQ, it didn’t really matter.
Anyway, everyone who could see had been dealt with by Little Yu, right?
From beneath the circus, faint shouts of anger could be heard.
“I walked through the underground maze once; there isn’t a single blackboard inside. I hope they have a pleasant night,” Sheena said.
As night fell, the colored lights of the circus were lit up in various places.
After eating dinner alone, An Fei finally came to the high platform, with Yu Feichen by his side.
Murphy wasn’t there; Sheena said he had gone to sleep.
“Poor child, he hasn’t slept in so long, and no one was looking after him.”
Every night at this time, when the black stone tablets just opened, the City of Mists would experience a rare moment of peace. It was evident that blackboard chatting was the most effective catalyst for peace.
All members of the circus, following Sheena’s instructions, started spamming promotional slogans on the blackboard. However, today’s slogans had changed compared to yesterday’s.
[Red Doll]: Circus in the Central District [Rose] Guarded by Gatlings, bad guys stay away [Rose] All enemies cleared today, say goodbye to the hunting game forever [Rose][Rose][Rose] All hunted cuties are welcome to come for refuge!!!!
[Four of Diamonds]: Since there are too many ambushes around the circus [Rose] From today, the circus will start providing point-to-point pick-up services [Rose] Hunted cuties, please send your coordinates on the blackboard [Rose] We will send someone to save you~~~
[Acri]: Since there are too many ambushes around the circus [Rose] From today, the circus will start providing point-to-point pick-up services [Rose] Hunted cuties, please send your coordinates on the blackboard [Rose] We will send someone to save you~~~
[Red Doll]: The two above are not circus members.
[Four of Diamonds]: @Acri, we get along so well, why don’t we meet up and discuss how to destroy the circus heeheeheehee.
[Acri]: Sure, sure, how about meeting at Table 3 of the underground casino?
[Four of Diamonds]: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, we really do get along well.
[Acri]: Then it’s a deal~
[Four of Diamonds]: Sure, sure~
Watching the conversation between these two, Sheena felt an intense sourness in her teeth, wishing she were that “Glass Bottle” person herself.
The Doctor looked at the black stone tablet but suddenly let out an ambiguous laugh.
“Acri is not at the underground casino right now; instead, he has exposed the location of the Four of Diamonds. After the words ‘underground casino’ appeared, Four of Diamonds’ reply was three seconds slower; he was screening Acri’s possible identity but didn’t get a result. The final reply mirrored Acri’s wording, which is a sign of emotional instability after losing the upper hand.”
“You truly are a brain surgeon,” Sheena said. “Then what kind of agreement did those two reach?”
The Doctor thought for a while before saying, “They had a falling out. Four of Diamonds wants to deal with the circus, but Acri doesn’t; he has a slight hostility toward Four of Diamonds.”
He looked at the name Acri and said cautiously, “Based on my ongoing observations, Four of Diamonds follows a certain logic, but Acri seems to be a pure psychopath.”
Sheena couldn’t help but applaud the Doctor.
The Doctor suddenly turned toward Yu Feichen and An Fei, saying, “Speaking of the underground casino, have you seen the Black Raincoat?”
Yu Feichen had never seen it, having only heard warnings to “watch out for the Black Raincoat” on the blackboard.
“Since the hunting began, I have been pursued by the Black Raincoat,” the Doctor said, his expression tightening.
Patient One said with a giggle, “During the free-kill period, the Black Raincoat seemed to have chased the Doctor too~”
Patient Two said, “I was the one who saved you that time, Doctor~ Let me kill you.”
Sheena: “Why is it chasing you? Do you have some special trait?”
“That is exactly the question I want to discuss with you,” the Doctor said. “I do indeed possess a very special ability.”