Chapter 9: The Hunter's Website

On the 21st floor of the Runder Building, all the windows were covered with thick curtains, blocking out any light.

Tang Wei sat in his office, idly browsing the Hunter website, feeling bored.

On the surface, Tang Wei was just someone involved in labor export, running a modest company that was steadily growing. He had recently purchased an imposing Cadillac Escalade, marking himself as a young and promising entrepreneur.

Yet, he felt more like a blue-collar worker because he was a hunter.

In fact, there were quite a few people like him around the world, taking on assignments from a website called "Hunter Market" and earning substantial rewards.

The tasks on this site were often bizarre and supernatural; crawling through ancient tombs was routine, and sometimes they encountered phenomena that defied scientific explanation. But very few normal people dared to operate on this site.

Tang Wei had some talent for this line of work and thus started his own hunter company, recruiting capable subordinates to take on tasks from the site. The profits from each successful mission were split evenly between the company and the subordinate.

No one really knew what this website was—there was no moderator, only a rarely seen administrator who hardly managed anything, at most sending warning emails.

Tang Wei was currently scanning for any good assignments.

The computer screen was as dark as the dilapidated tombs one often had to "visit" during missions. Clients and hunters floated like midnight phantoms, exchanging deals in this shadowy realm.

One never knew what lurked deep within those tombs—corpses, traps, or ghosts—just as Tang Wei had no idea who or what was behind the various IDs on the site, or whether they were even human.

“Damn, it’s all junk assignments,” Tang Wei muttered disdainfully, glancing over the latest posted jobs—all low-paying, tedious drudgery.

He decided to take a break and quickly logged off. He never dared to linger too long on the site.

Whenever he hovered in the discussion zones, he felt eyes watching him from the deepest recesses, tracking his every move.

Every word he typed, every extra minute he stayed online, allowed someone—or something—in the tomb’s depths to learn a little more about him.

That feeling was terrifying. Tang Wei’s instincts had always been sharp; it was by trusting them that he made a living. He planned to quit once he made a bit more money, but definitely not now.

The desk phone rang. Tang Wei reached for it, and the sultry voice of the receptionist came through: “Mr. Tang, that boy is here again. He says he wants to see you.”

Tang Wei frowned, irritated. “Don’t bother me about that kid again. What could I possibly have to see with a middle schooler?”

“Understood, Mr. Tang.”

The call ended. Tang Wei found the situation odd and picked up a file on his desk.

It was a dossier on a boy named Chu Zihang.

This boy had started coming to see him three days ago, insisting on meeting to discuss an important collaboration. Tang Wei had just arrived at work and had only glanced at him from afar.

That single glance had stirred an inexplicable sense of foreboding within him.

As mentioned, Tang Wei trusted his instincts deeply. Without alerting anyone, he quietly went upstairs and told the receptionist to have the boy leave a message if he had business—he wouldn’t meet.

But the boy refused to disclose his purpose, only insisting on collaborating. After being rebuffed by the receptionist, he began showing up every afternoon, determined not to leave without seeing Tang Wei.

Feeling something was off, Tang Wei had someone investigate. Now, the file lay before him.

Chu Zihang, fifteen years old, a ninth grader with no special background. His mother was a full-time housewife, and his father was the well-known CEO of a local company—essentially a young scion of wealth.

Tang Wei could not recall ever crossing paths with this Chu boy, nor did he understand his intent in seeking him out. Yet, he dared not meet him, for reasons even he could not fully explain.

The feeling was indescribable, as if any contact with this boy would invite disaster.

How unlucky, Tang Wei thought. He just hoped the boy would lose interest soon—he had no desire to meet him.

…

Chu Zihang stood beneath the Runder Building as the sun dipped westward, his shadow stretching long.

“He still won’t see us,” Chu Zihang whispered, his voice low and almost inaudible, as if talking to himself.

In his mind echoed another voice.

“If he won’t see us, then we’ll see him,” said Tang Xi. “Let’s stake out for a while.”

Chu Zihang nodded and looked toward the giant 22-inch chrome wheels of the Cadillac Escalade parked at the building’s main entrance, his pupils reflecting the imposing vehicle.

…

“What? He’s guarding my car?” Tang Wei’s eyes widened. He sprang to his feet, phone in hand, and walked to the window.

Sure enough, there stood a pale, slender figure, motionless beside his car, quietly holding an umbrella.

It had started raining outside, though he hadn’t noticed until now. Dark clouds blanketed the city—a prelude to a storm.

It was 6:25 PM, but the streets were almost deserted, and even the building’s occupants were nearly gone. Yet the boy remained, like a ghost lurking in the darkness.

That ominous feeling grew stronger. Tang Wei finally realized the boy wouldn’t give up so easily—he was here to provoke him.

“I refuse to believe I can’t handle a middle schooler,” Tang Wei said coldly, hanging up the phone and dialing another number.

“Hello? Lao Chen, I need you to handle something. There’s a guy staking me out.”

“Got it. Send some people to scare him off, but don’t hurt him. The kid’s family has some backing. I’ll wait for your update.”

Shortly after ending the call, Tang Wei saw a dozen security guards emerge from the building, heading straight toward the boy.

He thought this many people should be enough against a teenager. Just as his heart eased, the boy suddenly lifted his head.

Their eyes met in midair, and Tang Wei noticed a faint golden glint in the boy’s gaze.

At that instant, a thunderclap rattled the windowpane, which turned ghostly white. A bolt of lightning struck vertically, illuminating the Runder Building.

The tens of thousands of volts of static electricity made every lit window flicker, but Tang Wei heard nothing—his gaze was locked solely on those eyes.

A shiver ran through him. He stepped back from the window, heart pounding.

A dreadful realization struck him: those were not the eyes of a boy.

They were the eyes of a monster.

He felt as though he had been singled out by a creature beyond comprehension.