– HWHIFG | Volume 1 – Chapter 14

Wu Wang’s restless paw happened to smash a reagent dish on the floor. A huge cloud of purple mist burst out, choking everyone in the laboratory—human and dog alike—into covering their noses and coughing violently.

Mize Xidai started laughing as he coughed. No one knew what exactly had amused him.

“Still,” he said, “some people claim that rumor was deliberately spread by the system itself.”

“That makes much more sense.”

Zhou Mo immediately wore an expression of three parts contempt and four parts disdain.

“What a self-obsessed system. Laughable. Thinks it’s irresistible. Full of itself.”

Only an idiot would believe someone voluntarily sneaked into this stupid game.

After confidently reaching that conclusion, he quickly lowered his head and lectured Wu Wang:

“I know you’re amazing, Brother Husky, but maybe stop touching random things in laboratories. Who knows what kind of stuff is stored in a lab built in Hell? What if that reagent turns you into a giant moth in one second?”

Wu Wang licked his paw and sat beside the shattered vial with an expression that clearly said:

None of my business.

He practically had ‘The culprit is not me’ written all over his fluffy body.

Zhou Mo was about to continue persuading him when his genius brain suddenly connected a few wildly unrelated thoughts.

The Stowaway... Fu Guang... seven people, but only six players...

Wait.

Could Fu Guang actually be the Stowaway?

He remembered Fu Guang mentioning earlier that he didn't want to show his pocket watch because he was on the wanted list.

“Fu—”

“Oh, right.”

Mize Xidai happened to finish wiping the tears caused by laughing and returned to his usual cold demeanor.

“There’s one more piece of information about the Stowaway.”

“He also has a special nickname among players.”

“He’s called…”

“The Wandering Reaper.”

Mize Xidai said calmly,

“Because in every dungeon he participates in, he's always the only one who comes out alive.”

“All the other players either die or disappear.”

“Not a single one survives.”

“...”

Zhou Mo’s question instantly got stuck in his throat.

At that exact moment, Fu Guang looked up and smiled at him.

“You called me just now?”

“...”

Zhou Mo nearly petrified into a mummy.

Instinctively, he pressed himself closer to Wu Wang.

His overactive imagination immediately went into overdrive.

Why does Fu Guang fake ignorance so obviously?

Could revealing his true identity be the condition that unlocks his chains and allows him to start slaughtering everyone?

Wu Wang watched the human pup’s increasingly horrified expression for a while with complete boredom.

His thick tail swished and firmly pinned the escaping Raphael beneath its tip.

Then, with mild curiosity, he looked toward the small side room occupied by the two cowboys.

Through the thin metal door came muffled arguing.

Then—

BANG!

The door flew open.

“Enough!”

The tall cowboy stormed out.

“I’m done wasting time here!”

Furious, he strode toward Mize Xidai, grabbed his arm roughly, and started dragging him away.

“Move!”

The stumbling Mize Xidai blinked.

“?”

The younger brother hurried after them.

“Bro, that kid just said they saw undead controlled by Jack in Hell. We should search Hell more thoroughly—”

“Search my ass!”

The older brother spat angrily.

“I've practically turned Heaven and Hell upside down and still haven't seen a single Night Chaser member!”

“Those lunatics love taking unconventional routes.”

“Jack's probably already gone into the Wilderness. If we go now, we might still catch him!”

His voice was so loud that Wu Wang irritably slapped the floor with his tail.

He was beginning to consider whether this noisy two-legged creature needed to be driven away.

Mize Xidai replied calmly,

“That doesn't seem to have anything to do with me.”

Adjusting his glasses, he remained perfectly polite.

“Could you please let go? I don't recall agreeing to travel with you.”

The older cowboy spun around.

“Have you forgotten who found you sitting here like a dumb chicken waiting to get eaten by demons?”

“If we hadn't saved you, would you even be standing here talking back to me?”

“...”

Mize Xidai rejected the emotional blackmail with pure logic.

“But I've already shared every clue I discovered.”

“We're even.”

“What do you mean we're even?”

The cowboy's voice grew louder and louder.

“We got covered in injuries saving your life!”

“Is your life only worth a few pieces of information?”

The more he shouted, the more agitated he became.

Purple-black blood vessels bulged across his eyes.

A dark red horn had somehow emerged from his forehead.

Under the laboratory’s flickering blue lights, it reflected an eerie glow.

Clearly, whatever calming item he'd used earlier had not worked.

Unfortunately for him, the horn accidentally activated Wu Wang’s personal disgust filter.

The sight instantly reminded the dog of those disgusting horn-covered flesh lumps full of maggots.

Wu Wang's extended paw froze.

Then he immediately retched.

The movement should have been obvious, but everyone was focused on the argument.

No one noticed.

Except Fu Guang.

He glanced over, chuckled lightly, and returned to watching the drama.

Mize Xidai wiped the spit from his face.

“I suggest you calm down and drink the pink-white reagent behind you.”

“I formulated it here myself. It slows the progression of corruption.”

Even the younger cowboy’s expression changed.

“You can make something like that?”

The implication was obvious:

Then there's absolutely no way we're letting you leave.

Without warning, he drew a pistol.

One shot targeted Xiao Tao—the person most likely to interfere.

His other hand reached for Mize Xidai’s wrist.

He never got the chance.

Because while Wu Wang had been rendered inactive by sheer disgust...

Xiao Tao certainly hadn't.

Compared to monsters like Wu Wang and Fu Guang, Xiao Tao might seem weak.

Compared to normal players?

He was terrifying.

Not only did he dodge the bullet—

He sliced straight through it with a blood blade and drove the blade into the machinery behind the younger cowboy.

“Xiao Tao...”

The younger cowboy ground his teeth but didn't move.

The blood blade hovered against his neck.

One wrong motion and he'd bleed out instantly.

“We've all heard stories about your ridiculous saint complex,” he sneered.

“Always trying to save everyone.”

“What?”

“Did that stab from Requiem not teach you anything?”

“...!”

Zhou Mo's eyes widened.

His head filled with questions.

Fortunately, the younger cowboy was extremely talkative.

“Word is they carried you out of that dungeon.”

“Your entire Red Velvet Mercenary Squad carrying you.”

“Requiem just stood there watching.”

“He said only an idiot would trust him.”

“Someone as stupid as you deserved that knife.”

His smile dripped with malice.

“Does it still make your lungs hurt when you think about it?”

“What a shame.”

“Requiem has the entire Night Chasers protecting him.”

“Every dungeon entrance and exit is guarded.”

“Even your boss can't get revenge for you.”

Xiao Tao looked genuinely speechless.

Then his expression returned to irritation.

“We're not close enough for this trip down memory lane.”

“My kidneys and lungs are none of your business.”

“Take your half-insane brother and get lost.”

“If you want to find Jack, do it yourself.”

“Stop dragging innocent players into your mess—”

BOOM!

Wu Wang's ears twitched.

His incredible vision instantly caught the horned cowboy crushing something in his hand.

A violent explosion erupted around the two brothers.

Flames surged outward.

Heat and pressure distorted and destroyed everything they touched.

Wu Wang instantly forgot his nausea.

He launched forward.

In a blur impossible to follow with the naked eye, he seized Xiao Tao in his jaws.

As he lunged toward Zhou Mo, he caught sight of a thread of golden light nearby.

Time stopped.

Then reversed.

The explosion rewound itself.

Flames retreated.

Shockwaves collapsed backward.

Everything returned to the moment before detonation.

When time resumed, both cowboys stood frozen in confusion.

They had absolutely no idea what had happened.

“...”

Wu Wang silently released Xiao Tao.

Then he yawned and lay back down.

Xiao Tao stared at his perfectly intact body.

Then turned sharply around.

Fu Guang leaned lazily against a laboratory table.

He sighed helplessly, but his eyes were cold enough to cut flesh.

“I’m naturally kind-hearted.”

“I dislike seeing people kill dogs in front of me.”

He coughed.

“...Killing, I mean.”

“You forced me to waste an S-rank item.”

“How are you planning to compensate me?”

The brothers finally reacted.

The older brother raised his guns.

The younger brother opened his pocket watch.

A vial of biological virus materialized.

He flicked off the cap.

CRACK.

Two rows of sharp canine teeth sank into his hand.

The fangs pierced straight through.

They shattered the vial.

Then crushed the pocket watch in his palm.

A dangerous growl rumbled from Wu Wang’s throat.

His blue eyes glanced sideways at the human whose hand he'd bitten through.

The horned brother was disgusting.

This one still looked mostly human.

Therefore—

He had no reservations.

The younger cowbow:

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The scream echoed through the laboratory.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wu Wang saw Fu Guang casually pull the stunned Zhou Mo over.

With a snap of his fingers, he muted Zhou Mo’s hearing.

Then covered his eyes with one hand.

“Too bloody.”

“Children shouldn't watch.”

That was only the beginning.

The next moment, Fu Guang reached over and flicked the frozen broken test tube.

“You bite everything.”

“Not worried about poisoning yourself?”

“Good thing I froze time quickly.”

“Otherwise if you touched that reagent—”

Wu Wang immediately tried to bite him too.

Nearly succeeded.

“Fine, fine.”

“I won't touch you.”

Fu Guang raised both hands in surrender and stepped back.

Then a golden thread of sunlight condensed at his fingertips.

The next instant—

it shot backward.

BANG!

The older cowboy’s firearm exploded.

Before he could scream, the golden thread pierced straight through his arm.

Tiny explosions erupted through flesh and bone.

Smiling coldly, Fu Guang turned back.

“I literally just said I don't like watching people kill in front of me.”

“Why don't you listen?”

Wu Wang instantly let go and jumped away.

Avoiding the shower of flesh and bone fragments.

Fu Guang still covered Zhou Mo’s eyes with one hand.

The other played casually with the golden string that had returned to circle his fingers.

“Don't look at me like that.”

“Gamblers should be prepared to lose.”

“Criminals should accept that sometimes they're weaker than their victims.”

“Those who harm others should expect harm in return.”

“Leave.”

“Today is your lucky day.”

“I don't enjoy killing people in front of children.”

“Unless you really, really want to die.”

The golden thread split into seven afterimages.

Each pointed at a vital point.

Fu Guang smiled expectantly.

“I’m always happy to help.”

“Fuck!”

The agony of having his arm effectively exploded finally knocked the older cowboy out of his corruption-induced mania.

He glared at Fu Guang with bloodshot eyes.

But he dared not attack.

Instead, he supported his pale younger brother and retreated quickly.

Zhou Mo finally had his vision restored.

His face was pure confusion.

“What just happened?”

“How did you beat those two cowboys?”

“They're... just leaving?”

Then he burst into laughter.

“Brother Husky is amazing!”

“Boss Fu Guang is amazing!”

“Too bad I missed everything.”

“I mean, we're already trapped in this stupid game. Why add an R-rated censorship filter?”

Fu Guang looked at him gently.

“Are you saying I acted unnecessarily?”

“...”

Zhou Mo's happiness immediately vanished.

“N-no. Thank you for taking care of me, Boss.”

He instantly surrendered.

Then carefully edged closer to Wu Wang.

At this point, Wu Wang seemed to be the only creature capable of making Fu Guang back down.

“Anyway... let's talk about something else.”

His eyes suddenly lit up.

“Right!”

“That wanted list!”

“Are we done talking about it? Any more information?”

What he really wanted to know about was Requiem.

After all, the younger cowboy had just revealed that Requiem had stabbed Xiao Tao.

Seriously, what the hell?

How could someone stab a guy like Xiao Tao?

Mize Xidai thought for a moment.

“There is one more thing.”

“What?”

“If you capture any of the three permanent names on the wanted list...”

“You receive an immediate dungeon-clear reward and a chance to return home.”

Zhou Mo's eyes lit up.

Then dimmed again.

“Don't try that trope on me.”

“Every time a story offers an easy way home, it turns out to be an execution trap.”

Mize Xidai chuckled.

“But true or not, it's still better to hold the opportunity in your hand.”

“That part makes sense.”

Zhou Mo nodded.

Then grinned.

“Anyway, Xiao Tao.”

“Is your mercenary squad recruiting?”

“Look at me.”

“Hehehe.”

“At least I've got a conscience.”

“I'd never stab my teammates in the back like that idiot Requiem.”

“...”

Xiao Tao stared at him.

“Survive this dungeon first.”

“Have you forgotten you're still carrying a corruption debuff?”

The laboratory atmosphere became surprisingly cheerful.

Outside the laboratory—

The cowboy brothers limped through Hell's darkness.

“Damn.”

“We failed to recruit that nerd.”

“And Xiao Tao somehow picked up another powerhouse protecting him.”

The older brother spat.

“Did you take the antidote?”

“I don't want us both getting infected.”

The younger brother sighed.

“I did.”

“It was the last vial.”

“We'll have to go back to the biohazard dungeon and restock.”

“Maybe not.”

“We've run that dungeon enough times.”

“This time we might just steal the virus formula itself.”

The older brother gritted his teeth.

“I still want that nerd.”

“With his abilities, we'd have any bioweapon we wanted.”

The younger brother smiled darkly.

“What if we call reinforcements?”

“This dungeon holds fifty players.”

“Only six remain.”

“Plenty of open slots.”

“We spread a rumor that Xiao Tao of Red Velvet is inside.”

“Catch him, and the rest of Red Velvet will come running.”

“Then we can butcher—”

He stopped.

Far ahead in the darkness—

two blue flames had appeared.

Everything around them blurred.

His attention was forcibly drawn to those two cold blue lights.

It felt like mental contamination.

Whispers.

Sobs.

Coming from somewhere far away.

Or perhaps directly from those blue eyes.

His heart felt as though someone had punched a hole through it.

Ambition.

Greed.

Joy.

Anger.

All drained away.

In their place came despair.

Hatred.

Weariness.

Countless negative emotions.

An endless tidal wave crashing over him.

He felt himself becoming an empty shell.

Those emotions poured through the hole in his heart, widening it further and further.

The pain became real.

As though invisible hands were tearing at his heart and soul.

Dragging him toward an endless abyss.

Without realizing it, the brothers continued walking.

Straight into a demon nest.

Their bodies were torn apart.

Consumed.

Pain finally jolted them awake.

In the final moments before death, a single thought surfaced.

The dog.

The dog with the pocket watch.

There had never been animal players in Lone Boat.

They should have paid attention to that.

So why, during all their conversations and confrontations, had they completely ignored the dog?

Why had they only realized it existed when it attacked them?

In the darkness, the two blue flames continued watching silently.

Cold and emotionless.

The freezing chill seeped into every inch of their bodies.

Staring at those blue fires, filled with unwillingness and terror, the brothers finally sank into death.