The bodies hadn’t even finished falling before the camp went dead quiet.

Three hunters lay motionless on the dirt, smoke rising from the clean holes burned through their chests. The smell of scorched cloth mixed with the morning air was thick enough to choke on. People stared, frozen where they knelt, eyes wide and empty.

Then the red hound snapped.

*Woof*

A furious bark, raw and heartbroken, tore from its throat. It lunged, eyes burning, claws digging trenches into the soil as it charged straight for Myra, intending to take revenge for its fallen master.

It didn’t even get close, though.

Myra barely twitched—just lifted a hand delicately, as though gesturing to a waiter.

“Kneel.”

A crushing force slammed the hound into the earth. Bones cracked under the pressure. It yelped once, a strangled cry, before a robot coolly raised its blaster and ended it with three sizzling shots.

Silence dropped again.

A silence that didn’t belong to a safe zone anymore.

Most hunters here had never seen a human kill another human. They fought monsters, not people. A beast dying in the wilderness was nature. A person dying by someone’s hand—here, in what was supposed to be protected ground—warped something inside everyone who watched.

Besides Lin Fang, Nianxi’s entire body shook. She clamped her hands over her mouth, shoulders quivering as she tried not to sob out loud.

Lin Fang gently pulled her into his side, hand firm on her back.

“Stay quiet,” he whispered. “And cooperate. Everything will be fine.”

Her head bobbed shakily, her breath uneven.

Inside his mind, two voices responded very differently.

Tiamat, amused and ancient, murmured, “There is nothing to fear. Say the word, host, and I will devour these toys and the woman commanding them.”

Lin Fang kept his expression still, staring straight ahead. “No, I don’t kill people.”

Tiamat scoffed playfully. “You mortals and your rules. Very well… for now.”

On the other side of his mind, Alpha whispered more urgently:

“Careful, kiddo. That woman’s gravitational power is inherited. She should have more abilities if that were the case.”

Lin Fang didn’t intend to fight anyway.

But his jaw tightened slightly.

Meanwhile, Myra’s boots tapped softly as she walked past the corpses, her expression mild, almost bored—as if she had just disposed of clutter, not people.

“Let’s try that again,” she said pleasantly, sweeping her gaze across the trembling crowd. “All of you. Together, now.”

No one moved.

No one even breathed.

The message was clear:

Resist, and die.

Obey, and maybe live long enough to regret it.

Lin Fang stayed low, body relaxed, aura suppressed to nothing—but his eyes followed every motion, every robot, every angle of attack.

If Myra pushed them too far…

If she threatened Nianxi or him directly…

If escape became impossible…

He has to prepare for the scenario where he has no choice but to attack.

Myra’s efficiency was chilling.

Three bodies, one beast, and the entire safe zone folded into obedience like it had been rehearsed.

No shouting.

No second warning.

Just execution followed by silence so heavy it pinned everyone deeper than gravity ever could.

She turned her attention to the captain, strolling toward him with a predator’s lazy confidence.

“Now then… soldier,” she said, her smile gentle in a way that didn’t match the carnage around her, “will you instruct them properly, or shall I make an example of more?”

The captain’s throat bobbed. He looked at the crowd—his hunters, his responsibility—and fear hollowed his voice.

“Please,” he said, raising both hands. “Don’t resist. Cooperate. All of you… don’t make this worse.”

There it was.

Permission for surrender.

Once the captain himself requested them to surrender, the last bit of resistance drained out of these hunters, both rookies and veterans. Their shoulders sagged. Some lowered their eyes. And some stared at her in intense hatred.

But soon, under Myra’s direction, robots herded the hunters toward an open patch of ground, drawing a crude perimeter.

The monster companions—wolves, wyverns, mantises, even a few hulking boars—were forced to gather on the opposite side.

Confused animals whined, roared, and struggled, but any that moved too aggressively were met with blaster muzzles and additional gravitational pulses. Eventually, even they fell into uneasy stillness.

Myra flicked her wrist, summoning a case from the nearest robot.

She opened it, revealing rows of sleek, dark restraints.

“Anti-mana cuffs,” she said brightly, motioning toward us. “Everyone gets a pair.”

The captain’s hands trembled as she shoved the box into his arms.

“Pass them out. Now…”

He nodded stiffly, motioning soldiers to assist. They moved down the line, handing cuffs to each hunter, one by one.

People hesitated, of course they did. The cuffs were designed to suppress all mana cores. Once they were on, you couldn’t cast, you couldn’t fight, and you certainly couldn’t run.

In a brief sentence, they will be helpless against Myra. At least right now, they have less than 10% probability to fight back or escape with their lives, but once the cuffs are on, their lives and deaths will be in the hands of Myra. And that probably of 10% will be reduced to less than 0.0001%.

But hesitation lasted less than a few seconds—because on the edges of the clearing stood robots ready to kill without remorse. And Myra seemed like she wanted to kill more.

In the end, they accepted.

One by one, the clicks of locking cuffs echoed in the air.

Soon, Lin Fang’s hands were also restrained with anti-mana cuffs.

*Ding!

[Mana suppressant has been applied to your body.]

[Do you wish to break the suppressant?]

“No…” Lin Fang quietly rejected the suggestion and accepted the mana suppression instead. He intended to be a good hostage without making any noise.

*Click*

Then, Nianxi’s hands were also cuffed, but she started trembling in panic. He caught her hands, giving her assurance of safety. Keeping her at his side, he quietly slipped among the group, slipping into anonymity.

To be honest, Lin Fang could leave any time—just vanish with his teleportation.

But Nianxi stood beside him with her knees pressed together, shoulders tight, breathing fast and shallow.

Because of her, he stayed behind, feeling as if he was responsible for her life.

He didn’t even consider abandoning her.

“Tch.” Tiamat hummed in his mind, sensing his thoughts. “You have the strength to flee and return later. Yet you remain. How entertaining.”

Alpha’s tone was more practical. “Honestly, I don’t like this cowardly act, but since it is your choice and not forced because of circumstance, I will support it.”

“Thanks…”

*

Meanwhile, deep inside the command center, tension curled through the air like an invisible storm front.

The screens glowed with maps, blinking feeds from drones, and warning banners stamped in red, especially at one of the safe zones. Feng Xiu stood at the center of it all, his jaw tight, his fingers clasped behind his back in a parade stance that barely hid the fury underneath.

A staff officer hurried in with a salute. “Sir! Safe Zone 64—hostage situation confirmed. Armed robots. Unknown number of hostile operatives.”

Feng Xiu’s breath slipped out in a hiss, not fear… irritation sharpened to a blade.

“Not a word to the media,” he commanded them in seriousness. “Contact the outer command ring. If anyone questions them, they can acknowledge ‘technical portal malfunction’ but nothing more. No visuals, no recordings can be allowed to become public. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“And those who already exited through other safe zones—pull them back into the rest zones. Confiscate all phones, and if anyone tries to resist, arrest them and put them into jail if necessary. Nobody… I repeat… not a single soul will leave the base until I give the green signal.”

A chorus of “Yes, Commander!” echoed through the command room.

The two commanders flanking him exchanged looks. Even they seemed rattled. Hostage situations were rare in hunter trials; doing one here wasn’t just extremely bold but it is also a declaration of war against the military.

“Connect me to the captain on-site,” Feng Xiu said.

A satellite link opened, the ringing tone vibrating in the room.

Then someone picked up… but no familiar voice came.

“Captain?” Feng Xiu said sharply.

Instead, a melodic, almost playful voice floated through.

“Mmm? No captain here. But hello~”

Every staff member in the hall froze.

Feng Xiu’s expression darkened. “Who is this?”

“Oh, judging by the broodiness in your tone, I’d say… Feng Xiu? Vice President of the Hunter Council?” the voice teased in response.

“Yes,” he growled. “You must be the hostage taker.”

“Aww, you caught me.” A light laugh tinkled through the speaker. “Name’s Myra of the Shadow Guild. Pleasure to finally talk to you.”

The room collectively inhaled.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep