Chapter 94

Chapter 093: Hunter's Island (Part 9)

Feng Jue used his flashlight to check the surroundings first, confirming there were no traps nearby before he approached.

The corpse had already become a skeleton. Judging by the bones, it was a man. Clearly, his body had been disturbed by wild animals after his death, and it was possible he had been dragged here from somewhere else. It was hard to say where he had actually died.

The skeleton's clothes had been torn apart by the animals when they fed on the body. Feng Jue squatted down and examined the remains closely, quickly finding a small iron box among the fragments of the clothing.

The iron box was about an inch thick and the size of a photograph, perhaps used to store one. The box was already somewhat rusted, which was normal in such a damp environment. Feng Jue took out a small knife and pried the box open along the edges.

There was no photograph inside, but there was a pencil and a folded piece of paper, covered in writing.

【Name: Message from an Unknown Deceased】

【Type: Plot-related】

【Quality: Worn】

【Function: Unknown】

【Can it be taken out of this script: No】

【Note: Although you have found this, you may not need to read it, because once you read the content, everything will change.】

First, he saw the item description. The note made Feng Jue feel a bit uneasy, suggesting that the information left by the deceased was quite significant. But it also said that he "may not need" to read it. What did that mean?

"Could it be... that reading this paper will change the plot?" Feng Jue muttered. "Should I read it or not... I'm the only player in the script now. If I'm careful for the next two hours, I have a more than 90% chance of successfully completing it. But if I read this... and it causes some bad changes..."

If it were someone else, they might have given up, but this situation was precisely Feng Jue's weakness. If you tried to seduce him with a beautiful woman, he might remain composed; but if you put a stack of papers in front of him and claimed it was an unsolvable mystery, he would definitely pounce on it.

At that moment, Feng Jue's reading compulsion was acting up, and he was itching to read it. Unless a teammate like Si Yu took the item away and kept him from touching it, he had to read it.

He unfolded the paper, held it up to his flashlight, and to his surprise, the writing was in Russian.

Feng Jue's heart sank as a very frightening thought crossed his mind, which soon became reality over the next few minutes.

Although this detective novelist was quite knowledgeable, he did not recognize Russian. Fortunately, the system had a built-in translation function, and the menu displayed a Chinese version.

【If anyone reads these words, it means I am dead. That's good, for me, it is a relief, and I deserve it.

My name is Zaroff, and I am the owner of this island. Perhaps you have already met another man who claims to be General Zaroff in the castle, or perhaps you haven't. In any case, you should now know that he is an impostor, and his name is Rainsford.

I invented a hunting game, hunting humans on the island, and Rainsford was once my prey, the only one to survive my hunting game. I still remember every detail of that contest. He was excellent, able to make Malay traps and Burmese tiger traps with just a small knife. I was not bad either, always maintaining the upper hand and deliberately letting him go a few times.

In the end, he survived the third day and won the contest. Although I lost, I was in a good mood; it was a pleasant hunt. According to the agreement, I let him rest fully, gave him enough food and water, and sent him off on a monorail sailboat, allowing him to leave the island.

I thought I would never see Mr. Rainsford again, but unexpectedly, he returned to the island about six months later.

He told me that after leaving the island, he began to miss this game. Other forms of entertainment and sports no longer provided him with any excitement, and he wanted to join me.

At first, I did not agree and asked him to leave, but he begged me, offering to be a prey again.

I thought I was crazy, but at that moment, I believed he was truly mad.

So I had a second contest with Rainsford, and I made it clear that this time I would not hold back. If he could still survive three days under my pursuit, I would let him become a hunting partner.

I never expected that he would succeed again, and even more easily than the first time. I couldn't figure out how he did it. During those three days, Rainsford never appeared within my range. He seemed to hear sounds from far away, and every time I approached, he would leave faster than I could. The traces he left behind showed that he was as agile as a monkey, and most puzzlingly, he seemed to need no food, excretion, sleep, or rest.

On the third day, I released three hunting dogs to pursue Rainsford, but later, I only found three dead dogs, none of which had died from traps or knives. They had been killed by hand.

After that, Rainsford began hunting with me. Over time, his behavior became increasingly abnormal, constantly demanding that I catch as many people as possible. I told him that frequent maritime accidents would attract official attention, but he was like a greedy addict, never satisfied.

He modified the ship traps and bought many fierce animals to the island through various means. I told him those animals would also pose a danger to us, but he didn't care. Rainsford had gone completely mad, ten times crazier and ten times more evil than me.

Nine days ago, I decided to kill him while he was asleep. It wasn't a gentlemanly act, but I had no choice. I might have created this demon, so I had to be the one to end him.

When I quietly opened his door, he was standing behind it, grinning, waiting for me.

Ivan, my most loyal subordinate, who would never betray me, tackled me from behind, subdued me, and threw me into a cell. I am not a superstitious person, but I can only assume that Ivan was controlled by some evil spell cast by Rainsford, as that explains many things.

Now, I myself have become the prey. For nine days, Rainsford has known where I am, and I am certain of this, but he won't come to kill me, nor will he come to find me, or let me approach the castle or escape the island. He wants me to be killed by the animals in despair, to be torn apart by the "prey." For a proud hunter like me, this is a great irony.

On the fourth day, I encountered a sailor who was dying from a tiger attack. He told me that a man claiming to be General Zaroff had forced him to participate in a game. At that moment, I understood that I had been replaced.

Now, everything should end. I am covered in wounds, suffering from fever, and haven't slept for who knows how long. If death is inevitable, I only hope it comes peacefully and quickly.

I write this not to repent or seek redemption. I only want to warn whoever reads this message... Rainsford is not human but some unknown evil incarnation.

Run! Run as far as you can! Even if you jump into the sea and drown, don't stay on the island!】 (To be continued.)