Chapter 1: The Avenger

It was nighttime in a second-tier city, a place where prosperity was laced with restlessness.

The streets were bustling with traffic. As nightlife began, many young people escaped their stifling rooms to squander their time away.

Su Xiao crouched on the roof of a two-story villa. The night breeze blew past, bringing him a sense of coolness.

Su Xiao was dressed in black, wearing a wide black hood that hid his figure within the darkness of the roof.

In the sweltering summer, even at night, this attire would make anyone feel stifled.

But compared to his unfortunate experiences, this was nothing. He had already been waiting here for two hours.

At Su Xiao's age, he should have been spending a wonderful time in university, but because of hatred, he had abandoned his studies three years ago to begin learning other skills.

Human anatomy, combat, rapid lock-picking, and more.

The long wait began...

Two hours later, a black luxury car slowly drove into the villa's courtyard. The dull sound of the engine died out, the car door opened, and a middle-aged man walked out, looking intoxicated.

Due to excessive drinking, the middle-aged man's gait was clearly unsteady.

On the villa roof, Su Xiao picked up the long blade at his side. The blade left its sheath; it was pitch black, making it hard to notice in the night.

Leaping down from the six-meter-high roof, Su Xiao's agile arms caught a protruding corner of the villa in mid-air, slowing his descent.

Landing steadily, Su Xiao stood directly in front of his enemy.

Without a word, the long blade in Su Xiao's hand sliced through the air, emitting a whimper before slashing open the enemy's throat.

Blood sprayed out. Although Su Xiao tried his best to dodge, his cuffs and the back of his hands were still stained with blood.

The intoxicated enemy, not yet understanding what had happened, fell backward onto the ground.

Such an injury was no different from death, so Su Xiao immediately ran toward a sparsely populated area.

Scanning with his peripheral vision, Su Xiao saw a security guard in uniform.

Although he was in the middle of a crime, being witnessed didn't matter; he had hidden his appearance well.

But the next moment, Su Xiao felt his hair stand on end. The guard had actually pulled a gun from his waist—a pitch-black pistol with a long barrel, clearly equipped with a silencer.

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

Behind him was a villa at least ten meters wide, and the guard was about twenty meters away. If he chose to run, his back would be completely exposed to the enemy, making him a living target.

When encountering danger, Su Xiao's first reaction was to eliminate the source of the danger, never to flee.

Charging forward, Su Xiao ran in an S-shape, doing his best to avoid being shot.

"Puff, puff, puff..."

The silenced pistol emitted only faint sounds.

Su Xiao had only run about five meters when he felt a numbness in his lower leg, followed by the same sensation in his chest.

Su Xiao knew he had been shot. Although he was an avenger, he had never been shot before.

A feeling of powerlessness spread through his body. Su Xiao felt no fear, only a sense of unwillingness.

His revenge was not yet complete, yet he had already fallen, and he was being killed by an unknown enemy. What a pathetic way to go.

Using his last bit of strength, Su Xiao threw the long blade in his hand.

This throw was essentially leaving his fate to the heavens, but it seemed the heavens perceived Su Xiao's unwillingness and his unjust circumstances. After spinning rapidly in the air, the long blade miraculously pierced the chest of the armed guard.

Collapsing to the ground, Su Xiao wore a smile on his face.

He had coated that long blade with a neurotoxin, a mixture at that; the guard he had stabbed was certain to die.

His consciousness began to blur. Su Xiao felt a heavy blow to his head, and then everything went pitch black.

In his final remaining consciousness, Su Xiao vaguely heard:

"Hunter, 'Reincarnation Paradise' is opening for you."

【Body transmission in progress...】

【10%, 50%, 100%. Transmission complete. Hunter's body detected with massive damage, awaiting repair...】

【Hunter's consciousness not yet awakened. Repair command postponed. Maintaining minimum survival state. Duration: ten minutes.】

【Drip... Hunter's talent detected as a growth-type talent. Survival time extended by two hours.】

In the darkness, several rows of pale blue text floated in mid-air, emitting a faint glow.

Beneath the pale blue text, Su Xiao lay in the void, covered in blood.

His fingers twitched, and Su Xiao slowly woke up.

After waking, Su Xiao was dazed for a moment, but recalling the pitch-black muzzle, he immediately wanted to stand up.

A sharp pain surged, and Su Xiao nearly fainted again.

Sitting up with great effort, Su Xiao scanned his surroundings. Aside from a few lines of glowing blue text, everything was pitch black.

【Hunter, welcome to 'Reincarnation Paradise'.】

A line of text appeared out of thin air before Su Xiao, but he didn't look at it, instead checking his body for injuries.

His lower leg had been pierced through, the flesh at the wound rolled back, and he could easily insert his fingers into it.

Facing such a bloody scene, Su Xiao only frowned, showing no other reaction.

He had experienced scenes ten times more cruel than this, so this could not move him.

The injury on his chest was even more severe, but neither the leg nor the chest wound was bleeding anymore.

"I didn't die?"

Placing his hand on his chest, Su Xiao felt his heart beating powerfully.

【Hunter, you have not died. Do you wish to join 'Reincarnation Paradise'? Here, you have everything you desire.】

Su Xiao had long noticed the suspicious text, but out of vigilance toward the unknown, he had ignored it.

The current situation was bizarre; he had suffered fatal injuries yet miraculously survived, and before him was a line of blood-red numbers counting down.

【1:35:10】, 【1:35:09】...

One hour, thirty-five minutes, and nine seconds. If Su Xiao guessed correctly, that was what the numbers meant, and they were counting down incessantly.

These blood-red numbers gave Su Xiao an ominous feeling, as if he would lose his life when they reached zero.

【Hunter, please communicate with 'Paradise' as soon as possible to sign a contract, otherwise you will die in '1 hour and 35 minutes'.】

Sure enough, the numbers represented his remaining survival time. Su Xiao had guessed as much; his injuries were too severe, and he should have died long ago.

"Where is my blade?"

Su Xiao didn't care about any "contract" or "Paradise," instead demanding his blade from the other party.

That blade was the only memento his parents had left him. It was said to be an officer's sword his great-grandfather had captured, passed down to his generation.

【Most real-world items cannot be brought into 'Paradise'. Please sign the contract as soon as possible.】

Su Xiao fell silent. The pale blue text flickered; perhaps it had never encountered a "Hunter" like Su Xiao before.

"Contract? Tell me, what do I need to pay, and what can I gain?"

The dwindling survival time left Su Xiao with little time to delay. Moreover, he felt he must have encountered some "supernatural" event, which caused his heart to fluctuate.

Su Xiao desperately needed power for revenge, and while "supernatural" events carried huge risks, they might also grant extraordinary power.

【By signing the contract, you will travel through various 'Derived Planes' to complete missions issued by 'Reincarnation Paradise', obtain 'World Source', and ultimately have your rewards determined by the amount of 'World Source' you possess.】

【'Reincarnation Paradise' is omnipotent.】

A large amount of text appeared, and Su Xiao read it carefully.

"Omnipotent? Can you resurrect the deceased?"

All the pale blue text suddenly froze in mid-air, then vanished.

【Given your status as a Hunter, no.】 ===== CHAPTER 2 =====