The male supporting character was actually myself.

In an instant, nearly a hundred people had different expressions: some were surprised, some were curious, some were bewildered, and some were even afraid.

"A crescent-shaped mark!" A long-haired girl became alert upon receiving the text message. She had only recently arrived on the main planet and was a freshman at a military academy. The instructor who received her had a mark on his right hand that matched the description!

No wonder he was so incredibly enthusiastic towards me!

The girl quickly got up, packed her things, and left the restaurant, while also calling back the number that sent the message.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is a virtual account on Xingwang, and we cannot trace or contact the other party."

After the number was deemed invalid, the girl quickly disappeared into the crowd without lingering.

A young man who looked like an instructor returned from the window carrying two meals. He looked at the empty table, somewhat bewildered. "Where's my prey?"

After finally waiting patiently and using props to identify the contestant closest to him, he planned to use the identity to fool the other party before taking the opportunity to complete the hunting mission.

I never expected that my prey would escape while I was just ordering food.

Did she also use the props and find something was wrong?

The young instructor slammed his plate down on the table in anger. The crescent-shaped mark on the back of his right hand was scalded by the splashed soup. He casually wiped his hand, pondering how to deal with it.

The girl is a freshman at this military academy; if she wants to join the army and earn medals, she will definitely not run away.

As long as you're still nearby, there's still a chance!

He felt it was a pity that if it weren't for Cheng Ge's unreliable information, which revealed that the person he killed was just an ordinary person and not a contestant, he wouldn't have been able to complete the hunting mission.

Otherwise, that girl is beautiful and charming with bright eyes and white teeth; being her teammate would be a great choice...

“This message might save many participants,” Lu Xinnan said hesitantly. “Why did the main system issue hunting missions in the first place? Is it to train the host’s survival skills?”

Jiang Chen shook his head and laughed, "They're probably worried that we're too united. Once they give us a task like this, they'll definitely be on guard unless there are special circumstances that allow us to form an alliance."

Unless they stick together, the hosts won't be able to get any more information from others.

"What news? Do you mean the information you asked me about in real life?" She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled helplessly, "Even if I got more information, what good would it do?"

"Once we leave the mission world, our memories will be folded away. We might not even remember our own teammates, let alone these detailed details."

Chapter Thirty: A Short Essay on NetEase Cloud Music

Jiang Chen didn't reply. He closed his eyes slightly and slowly rubbed his temples, deep in thought.

As the setting sun cast its last rays upon the ravaged courtyard, a sense of desolation pervaded the scene.

As the city lights began to twinkle, the little white cat, munching on a dried fish, reported: "Host, I have posted the message on the system forum as you instructed, reminding all the auxiliary systems to warn their hosts to be careful of people with crescent-shaped marks on the back of their right hands."

The comments we've received so far include both gratitude and insults; the forum is practically in chaos.

The main system was alarmed, and then several troublesome auxiliary systems were shut down, which finally calmed things down.

Then I found a system message in the replies to the angry post.

Even though the other party deleted it instantly, who is my soft and adorable little kitten? One of the most skilled gossip-loving auxiliary systems! How could I let it delete posts and disappear so easily?

I took a screenshot and saved the image immediately.

The system complained that its host was an idiot.

Even though he knew he was being controlled by other contestants using props, and even though he had props that could help him break free, he refused to use them and insisted on following them!

It was so angry that it started swearing, mainly calling the founder of the Hunter Alliance a major cancer.

The most regrettable thing is that the main system blocked some of the posts it made because they involved competition content.

However, based on its description, I think it should be one of Meng Xiucheng's subordinates!

Moreover, the screenshot also contained a message at the end that might reveal the location of its host—the auxiliary system had actually written a melancholic little essay in the style of NetEase Cloud Music.

It deleted it instantly, and I took a screenshot instantly.

Let me read it to you!

"At this moment, the streetlights were just coming on, and I stood in front of the small, cramped, dusty second-floor window, which felt like a prison, and looked down."

Beneath my feet are dim, scattered lights and creatures busily making a living, their lives filled with the warmth of everyday life.

We live in a slum, yet our fate is completely different from that of the rest of the population. Like that mecha-like memorial building that shimmers with seven-colored light, we stand alone in the slums.

One day we will go to the battlefield to protect this prosperous world.

Jiang Chen repeated the "poem" recited by the little white cat with great emotion, and directly opened the StarNet to start searching.

There aren't many slums on the main planet, and even fewer that have buildings that resemble mechs.

Even without relying on the know-it-alls in the gray area, he quickly located an area on the map that was somewhat far from his position but was indeed a very good hiding place.

"Host, after the forum was in an uproar, now another auxiliary system has posted a message calling on everyone to unite and cooperate to find a way to destroy the Death Galaxy."

Otherwise, if the intergalactic war is lost, all the hosts will fail the assessment. I told everyone not to rush into infighting, but it seems like very few of the replies are supportive.

The little white cat was completely baffled. "Why can't we all just cooperate properly? Why isn't there an auxiliary system to support us?"

As Jiang Chen packed his things to leave, he asked in return, "How do you know the other party isn't just dangling a carrot to lure their prey?"

Those who say such things either have already completed their hunting mission and now need to figure out how to win medals, and really need helpers to act as cannon fodder;

Either they can't find any other contestants, so they cast a wide net to see if they can catch one or two innocent little fish.

Those who genuinely believe in and contact that support system will sooner or later be used as pawns.

The main system completely eliminates the possibility of cooperation when issuing hunting missions. Unless the alliance becomes a community of shared interests, or someone like Meng Xiucheng has special items to recruit followers, it's impossible to form a truly unbreakable alliance.

"Oh, I see." The little white cat drooped its ears and changed the subject, asking, "It's so late, what are you going to do, Master?"

"Of course, I'm going to scout out the slums. My hunting mission isn't over yet."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot about that." It twitched its ears and said excitedly, "I'll be faster. I'll go scout out the area for you first, make sure the other party is really in that area, and then contact you to set off. That way you can get some rest and it won't delay the hunting operation."

Jiang Chen stroked its fur with satisfaction, "Raising a cat for a thousand days is just the first time to use it. My Xiaobai is indeed the most considerate!"

"That's right!" The little white cat rubbed against his hand triumphantly, then hopped away and quickly disappeared from sight.

………………

Yao Tianyu was holed up in his cramped two-story bedroom in the slum, leisurely playing a single-player game on his hard wooden bed. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm feeling down and depressed, please don't disturb me." Dumbo weakly flapped his big pink ears a few times. He had been feeling a little guilty after deleting the reply he had posted on the forum in a fit of anger. When the host asked him a question, he quickly changed the subject and said, "Ever since you were controlled by Meng Xiucheng, you've been acting like you've lost your mind. You don't do your own tasks and just wait for him to give you orders every day."

"If this continues, how can we possibly live like this?"

"You're the one who's idiot! You know I don't have any tools to identify the contestants. This isn't being controlled, you understand? It's clearly a mutual exchange of needs."

If I hadn't chosen to join in that situation, I would have been eliminated long ago.

Although we lost items and Star Coins, surviving and obtaining a clue wasn't too bad.

Besides, that guy even actively helps me find targets to hunt, which is much faster than me having to stalk people everywhere myself. Once he's no longer of any use, I'll use the gadget to break free of his control and do it myself!

After speaking smugly with his legs crossed, Yao Tianyu's communicator buzzed twice. He jumped out of bed and exclaimed happily, "Speak of the devil, and he appears! He's bringing me a perk!"

After compiling the list, Li Zixuan sent a backup to Meng Xiucheng.

After learning that she had infiltrated the enemy and could not work together, Meng Xiucheng searched the StarNet for a while and selected a few suspicious targets, preparing to take the newly joined Yao Tianyu to try his luck.

Without more financial resources and equipment, this wide-net approach often results in the loss of ordinary people, but fortunately, it sometimes manages to catch one or two contestants. Even a one percent success rate is quite good.

Either the harvest yields the subordinates' obedience;

Either kill them directly to obtain clues about them.

Taking on underlings is naturally more profitable. As long as they don't betray you, they can help you hunt down other contestants. And as the leader who has already completed the hunting mission, it's a win-win situation to give them a chance to complete the mission.

"Wish me luck!" Before selecting a participant, Meng Xiucheng deliberately used a prop that could improve his luck, so that the possibility of selecting a participant from a list of votes would be slightly increased.

The little cheetah wagged its tail as it watched him toss the dice, which rolled across the list for a moment before finally settling on a name—Feng Yuan.

Chapter Thirty-One: The Hunt at the Small Hotel

"Hunting at night is so exciting!" Yao Tianyu rubbed his face nervously, trying to clear his mind and focus.

Dumbo flapped its big ears and flew beside him, asking in a serious voice, "Are you sure the list he provided really includes the contestants? What if he's wrong? You're going to be involved in murder. My suggestion is to keep an eye on them for a few days and make sure they're the host before you make your move."

"So what if I made a mistake?" Yao Tianyu said nonchalantly, "Anyway, Meng Xiucheng will clean up the mess, so it won't hurt for me to give it a try."

If he's not mistaken, then we've completed our mission!

"That's murder!" Dumbo exclaimed in shock. "Host, what did you do in your previous life? Were you a fugitive to be so indifferent to human life?"

Yao Tianyu twitched his lips. "What desperado? I'm a respectable person!"

This is just a mission world, how is it any different from a game? Killing a few people is nothing, at worst I can just throw the corpses into the system space, and they'll disappear without a trace. How could they possibly find me on such a huge main planet?

Besides, we'll leave the mission world once we complete the assessment; we'll only be here for a few years at most. Many unsolved cases have remained unsolved for decades, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Dumbo's voice was more serious than ever before, "A game?!"

Yao Tianyu, please watch your attitude and word choice!

Look around you. This is the real world and living people. Everyone has parents, friends, relatives, and even siblings or children. How sad would it be if you really killed innocent family members?

Think about yourself. Even after a sudden accident and death, you still miss your family and friends and work hard to complete tasks to earn a chance to be reborn.

Put yourself in their shoes, could you still bring yourself to harm an innocent person?

"Alright, stop nagging. Either you find a way to get me an appraisal tool, or you go and keep watch on them to confirm their identity. If you can't do anything, then shut up." Yao Tianyu said impatiently, "I'm trying my best to complete the tasks issued by the main system, isn't that what you want to see?"

Dumbo shook his trunk and flapped his big ears, so angry he almost shut up.

"Snap! Snap!"

The little white cat perched on the bedside table took a picture of his chat history with Meng Xiucheng and sent it to its host. Then, it left a message in the message saying, "Host, you need to hurry! They're about to start killing people!"

[Xiaobai: ?Voice?]

Jiang Chen, who had been waiting for a long time, clicked on the app and heard its scream. Then he opened the picture and entered the agreed address into the navigation software.

"Are you going out now?" Lu Xinnan checked the time; it was already 12:05 AM. She was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open when she asked in surprise, "Is there some kind of emergency? Wait a moment, I'll go change and go with you."

He declined her offer, saying, "Sister Lu, you just stay home and get some rest. I'm going to complete a hunting mission and I'll be right back."

"Hunting..." Before she could give him any items she might need from her space, Jiang Chen sped off in his hovercar onto the wide street. Lu Xinnan could only pray silently, "I hope everything goes well!"

At 3:00 AM, Yao Tianyu, after a long and winding journey, finally met Meng Xiucheng, who was dressed in a black trench coat, at the agreed location.