Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 12 Infection
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Sun Hang had been locked in this special room for seven days—assuming they delivered meals three times a day.

This is a spacious room with a floor, walls and ceiling made of mirrors. The only furniture in the room is a set of metal tables and chairs welded to the ground, a single bed also welded to the ground, and a flush toilet in the corner.

After Sun Hang watched the humanoid monster that fell from the sky and tore Bloody Mary apart with his bare hands, he was brought here.

Every once in a while, a corner of the ceiling would be opened, and a robotic arm would emerge from it to place the plate with food on the table, and then take away the tableware after Sun Hang finished eating.

The daily "prison meals" are very rich, with four dishes and one soup as the standard, including fish, meat, fresh vegetables, small desserts and fruits after the meal, and occasionally more luxurious foods such as steak and shark fin.

Sun Hang once loudly questioned why he was locked up here, but received no response... However, when he said he was thirsty, the robotic arm immediately brought him bottled purified water.

From a certain perspective, this kind of "prison life" where you have everything you want is actually not bad, except for that damn light.

The lights in this room are never turned off, not even at bedtime.

The light hidden behind the mirror passed through the glass and refracted on the mirror several times, illuminating the entire room. Sun Hang could only fall asleep by burying his head in the pillow, but as long as he tilted his head slightly, the bright light would immediately come in through the gap between his eyelids and project onto his retina.

The worst thing was that since there was no change of day and night in the room, Sun Hang's concept of time had become very vague. Most of the time his eyes were bloodshot, but he still couldn't muster up the slightest bit of sleepiness.

Long-term disordered work and rest schedules can easily lead to neurasthenia, fatigue, tension, irritability... all kinds of negative emotions continue to deepen as time goes by...

On the first day, Sun Hang was able to remain calm and tried to ask questions every once in a while, even when he got no answers.

The next day, he stopped asking questions and started walking around the room in circles over and over again.

On the third day, he smashed the plate, but the robotic arm quickly brought a new meal and cleaned up the garbage on the ground.

On the fourth day, he tried to pull the chair off the ground, but he failed.

On the fifth day, Sun Hang no longer made any unnecessary movements. He just sat on the chair, staring at the table. Except for sleeping and defecating, he always sat there.

On the sixth day, he still sat in the chair, silent.

On the seventh day, when Sun Hang finished eating the twentieth portion of food delivered by the robotic arm, the wall facing him finally changed.

The mirror turned into transparent glass, and three people, two men and one woman, were standing behind the glass, looking at him expressionlessly.

"Congratulations, Mr. Sun Hang." The woman among the three people clapped softly, and her voice was transmitted into the room through the glass. "You have successfully protected your human soul."

Sun Hang was somewhat familiar with the woman's appearance. She looked very similar to the civil servant who came to the hospital and asked him to sign the "indenture", but Sun Hang was sure that they were definitely not the same person. "What do you mean?" Sun Hang asked.

"You have been infected with the Weird Virus, but you have not lost your clear self-awareness, nor have you experienced any physical mutations." This time the speaker was an old man sitting in an electric wheelchair. "Although your infection level is only 0.17%, this is still a very rare situation."

"I'm infected with the strange virus? Then why don't you give me an injection of medicine?" Sun Hang narrowed his eyes.

The specific drug to suppress "weirdness" was developed hundreds of years ago. It is precisely thanks to this drug that people can survive the invasion of strange creatures.

"It's too late." The old man in the wheelchair sighed, "According to the test results, you were already infected with the Weird Virus the last time you encountered the Weird Creature - that is, the time when you lost your memory. You have missed the window period for medication."

"So?" Sun Hang continued to ask.

"So, you have now become a special individual who possesses the abilities of a monster but retains the will of a human." The old man in the wheelchair said, "I hereby formally invite you to join us as a 'Monster Hunter'."

"Monster hunter?" Sun Hang recalled the woman who fell from the sky. "Is she someone who specializes in hunting monsters?"

"Yes, the investigation bureaus in each city actually serve the monster hunters. Investigators are responsible for collecting the whereabouts and clues of the monsters, and then passing this information to the hunters. Hunters with suitable abilities will then go out and eliminate the monsters that invade human territory." The old man in the wheelchair said, "Only the power of the monsters can fight against the monsters. It's ironic, but this is the reality."

"What if I don't want to work for you?" Sun Hang asked.

"We won't force any infected person to become a hunter." The wheelchair old man continued, "But if everyone who gained power only wanted to protect themselves, humans would have disappeared from this land two hundred years ago. In addition, do you know what kind of strange virus you are infected with?"

"Which category?"

"The instigator of that attack was the weird creature with serial number Bingjiu, 'Taotie'. To be more precise, it was a clone of Taotie. The weird virus you were infected with also came from Taotie. As for what kind of impact it will have on you, you should have experienced it firsthand."

"So, my ability is related to 'eating'?" Sun Hang recalled the strong feeling of hunger, but that kind of hunger seemed to appear only when facing strange creatures.

"The greatest characteristic of Taotie is that it can change its own abilities by devouring other monsters." The old man in the wheelchair said, "You need to hunt monsters regularly to satisfy your desires... Staying away from monsters can temporarily suppress this desire, but when the accumulated desire finally erupts, the situation will be completely out of control."

"As long as you join us," the woman who spoke at the beginning said again, "even if you can't successfully hunt the monster, we will find a way to help you solve the problem of your 'appetite' explosion."

"Ask other hunters to bring back the monsters for me to eat?" Sun Hang tilted his head. "It sounds like I'm just a useless person who just wants to eat and die."

"This is one of the ways." The woman said, "In addition, we have a way to make you stronger and give you the ability to hunt monsters on your own."

"But the prerequisite is that you have to pass the test." Another middle-aged man in a brown-gray training uniform with a murderous look on his face took over the conversation, "Only after passing the test can you become a 'legal' hunter."

(End of this chapter)