Chapter 1

At night, a second-tier city bustling yet restless.

Streets teemed with traffic; the night life had begun, drawing young people out of stifling rooms to squander their time freely.

Su Xiao crouched on the roof of a two-story villa, the night breeze brushing over him, bringing a cool sensation.

Dressed in black, with a wide black hood pulled low, he blended into the shadows of the rooftop.

This attire, even at night, would feel stifling in the sweltering summer heat.

But compared to his tragic past, it meant nothing—he had waited here for two hours.

At his age, Su Xiao should have been enjoying university life, but three years ago, driven by hatred, he abandoned his studies to learn other skills.

Human anatomy, hand-to-hand combat, rapid lock-picking.

The long wait began…

Two hours later, a black luxury car slowly entered the villa’s courtyard; the engine fell silent, the door opened, and a middle-aged man staggered out, drunk.

His steps were unsteady from excessive drinking.

On the villa’s roof, Su Xiao picked up a long blade beside him; the sword slid from its scabbard, its blade pitch-black, invisible against the night.

He leapt from the six-meter-high roof, his agile arm catching a protruding corner of the villa, slowing his descent.

He landed smoothly, directly in front of his enemy.

Without a word, Su Xiao’s blade sliced through the air with a mournful whistle, severing his enemy’s throat in one stroke.

Blood gushed forth; though Su Xiao dodged fiercely, his sleeve and the back of his hand were stained crimson.

The drunken man never understood what happened—he collapsed backward onto the ground.

The wound was fatal; Su Xiao immediately sprinted toward a sparsely populated area.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a security guard in uniform.

Though he had just committed murder, being witnessed didn’t matter—he had concealed his face perfectly.

But in the next instant, Su Xiao’s hair stood on end—the guard drew a pistol from his waist, a long, black weapon clearly fitted with a silencer.

How could a security guard have a gun? Su Xiao had no time to think.

Behind him stretched a villa at least ten meters wide; the guard was twenty meters away. If he fled, his back would be fully exposed—a perfect target.

When faced with danger, Su Xiao’s first instinct was to eliminate the threat—not to run.

He charged forward, sprinting in an S-pattern to minimize exposure to gunfire.

“Puh… puh… puh…”

The silenced pistol emitted only faint pops.

Just five meters into his sprint, Su Xiao felt his calf go numb, then the same sensation struck his chest.

He knew he’d been shot—he was a avenger, but he’d never been shot before.

Weakness spread through his body; he felt no fear, only bitter regret.

His revenge wasn’t complete, and now he was falling—killed by an unknown enemy. How humiliating.

With his last strength, Su Xiao hurled his long blade.

The throw was a gamble—but fate seemed to sense his resentment, his unjust fate; the blade spun rapidly through the air, then miraculously pierced the guard’s chest.

Slumped on the ground, Su Xiao smiled.

He had coated the blade in a neurotoxin—a mixed compound; the wounded guard would die without doubt.

His consciousness blurred; he felt a heavy blow to his head, then darkness swallowed his vision.

In his final fading awareness, Su Xiao faintly heard:

“Hunter. The ‘Cycle Paradise’ opens for you.”

【Transferring body…】

【10%, 50%, 100%, Transfer complete. Detected severe damage to hunter’s body. Awaiting repair…】

【Hunter consciousness not awakened. Repair command delayed. Maintaining minimal survival state. Duration: ten minutes…】

【Ding… Detected hunter’s innate talent: Growth Talent. Survival time extended by two hours.】

In the darkness, several lines of pale blue text floated in midair, emitting a faint glow.

Beneath the pale blue text, Su Xiao lay motionless in midair, drenched in blood.

His fingers twitched; Su Xiao slowly awoke.

After waking, Su Xiao was momentarily disoriented—but remembering the black muzzle of the gun, he tried to rise at once.

Agony surged through him; he nearly blacked out again.

He forced himself upright, scanning his surroundings. Aside from the glowing blue text, everything was pitch black.

【Hunter, welcome to the ‘Cycle Paradise’】

A line of text appeared before Su Xiao—but he ignored it, immediately checking his injuries.

His calf had been pierced; the wound gaped, flesh curled outward, his fingers could easily slip inside.

Su Xiao merely frowned at the bloody sight—no other reaction.

He had witnessed far more brutal scenes; this meant nothing to him.

His chest wound was worse—but neither the calf nor chest wound bled anymore.

“I’m not dead?”

He pressed his hand to his chest—his heart beat strongly.

【Hunter, you are not dead. Do you wish to join the ‘Cycle Paradise’? Here, you may find everything you desire.】

Su Xiao had noticed the suspicious text earlier, but wary of the unknown, he ignored it.

Now, the situation was strange: he had suffered fatal wounds, yet miraculously survived—and before him, a blood-red countdown ticked down.

【1:35:10】，【1:35:9】…

One hour, thirty-five minutes, nine seconds—if Su Xiao guessed right, that was the meaning, and the numbers kept counting down.

The blood-red digits gave him a sense of dread—as if, when they reached zero, he would lose his life.

【Hunter, communicate with the ‘Paradise’ promptly to sign the contract, or you will die in ‘1 hour 35 minutes’】

As expected—the digits marked his remaining time. Su Xiao had suspected it; his wounds were too severe—he should have died long ago.

“Where’s my blade?”

Su Xiao didn’t care about the “contract” or the “Paradise”—he demanded his blade back.

That blade was the only memento left by his parents—said to be a military officer’s sword seized by his great-grandfather, passed down through generations.

【Most physical objects cannot be brought into the ‘Paradise’. Sign the contract promptly.】

Su Xiao fell silent. The pale blue text flickered—perhaps it had never encountered a hunter like him.

“Contract? Tell me—what must I give, and what will I gain?”

The dwindling survival time left him no luxury to delay; he sensed he had encountered something “supernatural,” stirring his inner turmoil.

Su Xiao needed power to seek revenge—and “supernatural” events, though perilous, might grant extraordinary strength.

【By signing the contract, you will traverse countless ‘derivative dimensions,’ completing tasks issued by the ‘Cycle Paradise’ to obtain ‘Source of Worlds.’ Rewards will be determined by the quantity of ‘Source of Worlds’ collected.】

【The ‘Cycle Paradise’ can do anything.】

…

Vast amounts of text appeared; Su Xiao read them carefully.

“Can do anything? Can you resurrect the dead?”

All pale blue text froze midair, then vanished entirely.

【Given your status as a Hunter, no.】