Chapter 11

The fact that there were people in this world was something Mu Canyang had not anticipated, and to think there were even players?

If there were players, it meant this was a complete world!

Although game worlds were diverse, there were only a few hundred that were fully operational.

Which one was this?

On impulse, Mu Canyang almost asked, "Brother, we're all players, could you tell me... where are we?"

The words were already at the tip of his tongue, but he suddenly came to his senses and held back.

I am... not a player now, but an NPC; even if I were to reveal my former identity, I would definitely be a wanted criminal.

Wouldn't speaking up be courting death?

Which player would be so clueless as to not know which world or where they were? Even for the Shadow Clan, it wouldn't be that bad, right?

Perhaps the player on the other side wasn't that smart, but one couldn't rule out the possibility.

The joy of seeing a human again instantly faded, and Mu Canyang's heart was filled with alarm. He lowered his head, crouched down, and burst forth with strength, sprinting into the jungle beyond the riverbank like a leopard emerging from the forest.

Facing the mounted charge, he had two options: jump into the water or hide in the forest, both of which would negate the advantage of the mounted attackers.

However, the ones on the other side were players. Who knew if they had diving gear, high-level swimming skills, or ranged weapons?

Although the distance was greater, Mu Canyang made a quick decision to head for the forest.

As for... resistance?

Ha, in a world with players, there was inevitably a power structure. He was now clear about his situation: penniless and skillless, with no equipment. Was he going to fight to the death with a bamboo knife?

Rolling and leaping in a zigzag pattern, adrenaline surged, and he put all his recent jungle training to full use.

He had already seen clearly that these people had throwing knives at their waists, indeed, they had ranged weapons.

Each person had two bags tied to either side of their saddle, with bloodstains seeping through. They were round and bulging, as if filled with watermelons, and the red liquid was a mess...

"Hey? He's running pretty fast!" The mounted attackers hadn't even gotten close, and Mu Canyang was already about to enter the forest.

The horses turned slowly, and one step behind led to more steps behind. They could only rein in their horses and sigh.

"Shh, shh, shh... Since he's entered our hunting ground, can we let him leave alive? Ha, what a joke!"

"Right, right, if we let him escape, the news will spread to the forums, and we won't be able to survive here, right?"

Amidst the whizzing of flying knives and broken arrows, a thin, fierce-looking man called out, "I hit him! Yeah!" His voice was dry and strange.

He looked smug, holding several diamond-shaped throwing knives between his fingers. The blades grazed his cheek, his hooked nose, and his protruding tongue.

The blade cut his tongue, instantly turning it blue-purple, but it quickly turned red again, looking twisted and perverse.

"Then this guy is yours. We'll continue chasing the Gu family fugitive!" The mounted attackers nodded in agreement.

"Alright, it's settled!" Everyone nodded in unison.

"Scram! Scram! Scram!" The thin man cursed, "I'm so stupid, I should go chase this wild man who appeared out of nowhere!"

"But he was hit by my poisoned dart, he shouldn't run far. This should count as my kill, right? Plus this, the first bowl of the Gu family girl's head should be mine! Slurp..." As he spoke, saliva dripped from his mouth.

"You wish!" The others pointed at him, their middle fingers raised, "A head in the bag counts, either chase him or move on, no free rides!"

"Spit!" The thin man spat, reluctantly reining in his horse and speeding up with the others.

Watching the thin man catch up, the mounted attacker's gaze casually swept over a nearby tree, noticing the marks on the trunk, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

==========

Damn, I still got hit!

Mu Canyang continued to sprint through the forest.

The combat records of players were unmistakable.

After running away, he didn't hear much of their conversation, but he did hear the word "hunting ground."

As a military figure, though not at the top, he had heard of such things.

It was a game where a group of players designated an area as their hunting ground and, through various means, whether by framing or extortion, forced the NPCs in that area to become wild monsters to be hunted.

In ancient times, royal nobles had MMORPG-style hunts, and this was called human hunting.

He had only heard of it before, never expecting to encounter it today, and to become the prey.

Although there were no pursuers behind him, he didn't dare stop.

He casually pulled out the dart from his left arm; it was just a superficial wound, but the poison on the dart was the real concern!

While running, he used a strip of cloth to tie off the upper part of his arm.

It was difficult to aim with the bamboo knife while running, so he gritted his teeth, dug his fingers into the wound, and tore it open!

He only had one life now! Everything was for survival!

"Ugh!" He groaned, cold sweat pouring down, the wound torn open, and blood mixed with black, poisonous blood almost gushed out.

The poison was truly potent!

Fortunately, Mu Canyang had eaten snake gall, giving him higher resistance than the average person. Combined with his timely and decisive treatment, the black blood soon stopped flowing, and his blood returned to its normal color.

However... it seemed a small amount of the toxin had entered his circulation during the run, and Mu Canyang soon felt dizzy, nauseous, his heart racing, and his vision spinning, making it difficult to move...

Is it enough now? Can I rest?

No, this distance isn't enough! Far from it.

Moreover, the blood spurt from the torn wound would provide clues to the enemy.

He needed to go further, much further... and stop the bleeding first!

Fortunately, earlier... enduring the pain, Mu Canyang used his good hand to pull out several plants with roots.

On his way, he had found these ginseng plants, dug them up, and kept them in case of emergencies, never expecting to actually use them.

He chewed the ginseng into a paste and applied it to the wound, wrapping it with cloth. He swallowed the remaining part directly.

After treating the wound, Mu Canyang clutched his arm and continued to weave through the jungle.

Dizzy, blurred vision, weak and powerless...

He could only barely discern the direction to ensure he didn't retrace his steps.

Driven by the will to survive, he moved mechanically, not knowing how long he had been running.

Finally, it was completely dark.

It seemed to be night, or perhaps... the darkness of unconsciousness...

On the verge of sleep, Mu Canyang vaguely heard voices around him, and his body seemed to be lifted. After that, he knew nothing...

==========

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Time to eat!" In his sleep, Mu Canyang felt a harsh kick and勉强 opened his eyes.

His whole body was weak, and his head was pounding.

It was only natural, given the poisoning, blood loss, and physical exhaustion.

However, being awake meant he was out of immediate danger. The poison had been thoroughly expelled, and his current constitution...

The scenes before he fainted flashed through his mind like a slideshow, and he quickly regained his senses.

He tried to roll over and get up, but as soon as he exerted himself, he realized his hands and feet were tied. Caught off guard, he almost fell flat on his face.

Could it be that I was still captured? He was startled and looked around.

What he saw made him breathe a sigh of relief.