Chapter 32｜The Final Stage of the Hunting Ground's Life-or-Death Game: The Ultimate Showdown and Total Dominance

Night had fully descended.

The wind in the woods had ceased, even the rustling of leaves vanished, as if the entire hunting ground had deliberately held its breath. Li Xing stood atop a high point, his back against a rock, his gaze piercing through layers of shadow to fix upon the seemingly empty stretch of forest ahead.

He knew—

the true adversary was there.

Not the high-level hunters repelled and ambushed earlier, but the one who orchestrated them, the one who made them willingly enter this hunting ground.

“Hold.” Li Xing whispered.

Every member of the team froze.

Zhao Yun's hand rested steady on the Desert Eagle, her breathing suppressed to a whisper; Li Yu's gun barrel remained unwavering, the system prompt flickering faintly in the corner of her vision, deliberately ignored; Zhou Xiaoyu lay prone on high ground, her forehead pressed against the cold rock face, her scope revealing only darkness; Zhou Yan held his hunting dog still, even deliberately slowing his own heartbeat.

Time ticked by, second by second.

In this almost suffocating silence, a voice suddenly emerged from deep within the shadows of the forest.

“Not bad.”

The voice was not loud, yet it was clear and calm, without a trace of panic.

“To push my men this far, you're no accident.”

In that instant, the hunting ground seemed to tear open.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

He didn't rush forward, instead standing beside an ancient tree, a modified rifle in hand. The barrel hung naturally downward, yet his vigilance remained unwavering.

He wore no distinctive gear, his attire indistinguishable from that of ordinary hunters.

The only difference was—

He stood there as if he were the hunting ground itself.

“The Black Market's core hunter,” Zhao Yun murmured.

Not a guess, but a confirmation.

The man gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the entire team before settling on Li Xing.

“You're the leader,” he stated.

Li Xing made no denial.

“This hunting ground,” the man continued calmly, “was released by me. It was meant to be a screening process.”

“Now it seems I've screened you.”

The Final Gambit

Li Xing didn't respond to the provocation.

He was observing.

The man's stance was steady. Though seemingly exposed, he maintained a distance allowing swift retreat to cover; the wind at his back gave his weapon a natural advantage; but more crucially—

the system offered no definitive analysis.

This meant the man's threat level exceeded the system's current assessment parameters.

“Want to talk?” Li Xing finally spoke.

The man smiled. “No.”

“I'm just confirming whether you're worth me taking care of personally.”

The moment the words fell, he moved.

Not a charge, but a lightning-fast lateral shift. The muzzle rose, and fire erupted almost simultaneously.

Li Xing had anticipated this. He rolled into cover as bullets whizzed past, sparks flying off the rock face.

“Spread out!” Li Xing barked.

The team instantly fanned out.

This time, however, the enemy made no further probing moves.

His firing rhythm was rapid yet disciplined—each shot forced repositioning, driving everyone toward a lower, more exposed terrain.

“He's controlling the field,” Zhou Xiaoyu's voice was taut.

“I know,” Li Xing replied in a low voice.

This was the first time, in the hunting grounds, that someone had reversed the rhythm and suppressed them.

System Limit

Li Yu's system interface suddenly flashed.

Not an upgrade, but a warning.

[High-Risk Target Locked]

[System Support Efficiency Declining]

Her breath caught slightly, but she didn't retreat.

In this moment, the system was no longer a crutch.

Only human skill mattered.

Zhao Yun seized an opening to lunge forward and counterattack, firing two shots from his Desert Eagle. Yet the opponent anticipated his move, and both bullets missed their mark.

“He's calculating us,” Zhao Yun cursed under his breath.

The black market hunter didn't rush forward but continued tightening the encirclement, as if testing their limits.

Until—

The hound suddenly broke free from Zhou Yan and charged toward the flank.

It was an extremely dangerous move.

Yet in that very instant, the balance of the hunting ground was shattered.

The hunter instinctively shifted his gun barrel.

Just that split second.

“Now!” Li Xing growled.

The Ultimate Counterattack

Zhou Xiaoyu's sniper rifle fired.

Not aimed at the head, but precisely striking the edge of a rock beneath his feet, forcing him to leap.

Li Yu's rifle fired almost simultaneously, sealing off his landing route.

Zhao Yun charged from the flank, emptying the Desert Eagle's last round, forcing the opponent into cover.

And Li Xing—he was already closing in.

No unnecessary movements.

No hesitation.

The Tang sword drew from its scabbard.

In the night, the blade reflected a sliver of cold light.

For the first time, the black market hunter wore a genuinely solemn expression.

Gunfire and blade flashes intertwined.

Brief, yet decisive.

When the sounds faded completely, the hunting ground fell back into