Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The remaining two, seeing their companion injured, initially wanted to flee. But upon witnessing the pitiful sight of him clutching his leg on the ground, an inexplicable surge of ruthlessness rose within them. Exchanging a glance, they gritted their teeth and drew their Long Blades, positioning themselves in front of their injured ally.

At that moment, the dozen or so pursuing players swiftly closed in, surrounding the trio in a tight circle, cutting off all escape routes. These hunters clearly had training, moving like predators encircling their prey.

Qin Han, who had been observing from atop Nightmare, took a few more steps back. Yet, it seemed the hunters had no intention of letting him go—five of them began advancing toward him, their movements deliberate.

His expression remained calm.

"Your grudges are none of my concern. Settle them elsewhere."

"Don’t bother me."

But the hunters ignored his words, continuing their approach.

Seated on Nightmare, Qin Han summoned the Godslayer Bow without hesitation. Two arrows whistled through the air, piercing the thighs of two players with pinpoint accuracy. His voice was icy.

"Take one more step, and you die."

The pursuers were taken aback. Faced with such overwhelming numbers, Qin Han showed no fear—instead, he exuded an intimidating dominance. His high-tier equipment further muddled their judgment, leaving them hesitant to act recklessly.

Then, a girl with a ponytail stepped forward from the group of hunters, wearing an innocent smile.

"Big brother, don’t misunderstand. We mean no harm," she said sweetly, addressing Qin Han. "Those three stole our equipment. This has nothing to do with you—we won’t trouble you."

The encircled trio immediately protested.

"Bullshit! You’ve already tricked five players in the village, luring them out under the pretense of teaming up to grind monsters!"

"Once you got us into the wild, you tried to Kill and Loot Equipment! If we hadn’t reacted fast enough, we’d be dead like the other two!"

The girl pouted, feigning hurt. "Big brother, listen to them! How could they slander us like this?"

"They’re making us out to be some kind of irredeemable villains!"

"Before joining the Game of Eternal Life, I’d never even killed a chicken—how could I possibly kill people?"

At first, Qin Han had no interest in their squabbles. But the moment he heard "Kill and Loot Equipment," his expression turned glacial.

In his past life, the game had been plagued by a group of vile players—beasts in human skin. Outwardly, they appeared no different from ordinary gamers, blending in seamlessly. But once they lured isolated players into the wilderness, they revealed their true nature, ambushing and slaughtering them in secluded corners.

Some even used the guise of dungeon runs, offering rewards to trick unsuspecting players into forming parties—only to murder them in the shadows and plunder their gear.

The Game of Eternal Life had no surveillance, no so-called "sin points." These scum operated in secrecy, striking swiftly when their victims least expected it. Worse still, they all hid behind anonymity. Even if their victims cried for help in the Chat Area before death, it was futile.

Murder and theft lined their pockets with gold.

Through these despicable means, without even needing Job Changes, they became the wealthiest and best-equipped players in the game.

They even trampled over the corpses of their own kind to reach the mid-game phase, and their numbers grew larger and larger. At their peak, these beasts gathered hundreds of members! If not for their later missteps—kicking an iron plate and being hunted down by several professionals—they might have continued their rampage unchecked.

In his past life, when this incident occurred, Qin Han was occupied with a mission and didn’t participate. But when it came to acts that trampled on the bottom line of humanity, he could never tolerate them. His gaze fell upon the three being chased.

"You said they just killed two players. Are the bodies still there?"

"Yes, yes! Right by the edge of Wild Bull Grassland. They were too busy chasing us to clean up the corpses." Seeing how Qin Han had effortlessly disabled two of their pursuers, the trio pinned their hopes on him.

At these words, the faces of the hunters paled. Many immediately wanted to strike, but the Ponytail Girl still wore a sweet smile, looking utterly sincere.

"Big brother, don’t listen to their nonsense. We didn’t do anything like that."

"If you want to investigate, we’re happy to go with you. With you as a witness, our innocence can be proven."

Her words sounded earnest, but it was a classic deception tactic—one she had used successfully to lure several players into lowering their guard today. She was already fantasizing about Qin Han dismounting and walking right into their ambush, becoming their next prey.

Unfortunately for her, they were facing Qin Han!

Such a childish trick could never fool him. In fact, her words only confirmed their identities beyond doubt. Without hesitation, he raised his bow and struck!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Arrows streaked through the air like lightning. Under the moonlight, yellow critical damage numbers—each exceeding a thousand—flashed repeatedly. Before the hunters could even react, five or six of them had already fallen.

Faced with this storm of slaughter, the pursuers dropped like wheat before a scythe. The survivors’ expressions twisted in horror.

"This guy isn’t falling for it! Damn it, he’s even more ruthless than us!"

"His attacks are insane! Those arrows are too precise—we’ve hit a wall! We can’t win, run!"

Qin Han’s gaze was icy, his hands never stopping. The Ponytail Girl, now sprawled on the ground, had lost all her earlier composure.

"Big brother, please spare me!" she begged. "I’ll do anything if you let me live!"

But her plea was met with an arrow piercing her throat. With a look of disbelief, her consciousness plunged into darkness.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In mere seconds, every single pursuer lay dead. Only the three survivors remained, utterly stunned.

A dozen players they had deemed unbeatable had been wiped out in the blink of an eye! If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, they’d never believe such a powerhouse existed in the Beginner's Village!

"Big shot, thank you for saving us. I’m Li Ran, and this is my younger brother Li Hao. The guy on the ground with an arrow in his knee is Liu Kuang."

Clearly, after a full day and under the cover of night, the two hadn’t recognized Qin Han. But the one on the ground—it was actually Liu Kuang!

In his past life, Liu Kuang had only made an appearance on the first day in the Beginner's Village before vanishing without a trace. Many had speculated back then that he’d been devoured by monsters after venturing into higher-level zones. But now, it seemed more likely that he’d been slaughtered like a fat sheep on that very first day!

At this moment, Liu Kuang wore an expression of shame. After learning about Job Changes, he had immediately hidden his name and rushed back to the village, hoping to find an opportunity to change his profession. However, not only had he failed to switch jobs, but he’d also encountered a girl who seemed like an angel. He had even planned to team up with her and a group of freely assembled players to leave the village overnight and grind monsters for levels.

But once they reached the wilderness, the angelic girl had turned into a demon, nearly tearing him apart alive. Having been a minor celebrity in the Beginner's Village for a day, only to suffer such misfortune, he couldn’t bring himself to meet Qin Han’s gaze. Mumbling, he muttered a barely audible "Thanks..."

On Nightmare’s back, Qin Han stowed away his Godslayer Bow and gave a slight nod, though his eyes remained fixed on the ground. There, under the erosion of the fallen players’ blood, an eerie dark red glow had begun to spread.

The Formation had been activated!