Bai Ye was slightly surprised upon entering the arena for the wish mission.
While looking at the light screen, Bai Ye had assumed the setting for this wish mission would be a scene of modern civilization, given the tall buildings with a modern aesthetic. However, upon entering, Bai Ye discovered numerous suspended bridges in the air, seemingly unsupported by pillars yet floating above.
Besides that, flying vehicles constantly zipped through the air, and the cars on the ground were brimming with a sense of advanced technology. There were also robotic trash cans lining the streets, which would automatically move to people needing to discard trash, or pick up litter from the ground and deposit it into their own bodies.
Bai Ye did not rush into action but first opened the light screen to take a look.
Indeed, this was an era of future technology. However, it was in its early stages. Simply put, it was a period where modern civilization was transitioning into future technological civilization. Some futuristic equipment and technologies were already present, but the gap in technological level compared to modern civilization was not significant. Robots had already been put into use, but they were limited to tasks like garbage collection and cleaning, or simpler jobs, and were sometimes semi-robotic. For example, construction sites had construction robots, but they couldn't entirely replace human labor, still requiring human monitoring and a certain degree of operation.
In addition to this background, this world had a profession called Hunters. Hunters were also known as bounty hunters. Their job was to apprehend fugitives and bring them to justice, for which they would receive a reward. They possessed weapon permits and were allowed to use weapons, with a certain degree of immunity from prosecution for killing. Under normal circumstances, Hunters were only permitted to capture criminals, not kill them. However, if there was a threat to life, Hunters could shoot their targets. Of course, their carried pursuit recording devices had to document the moments they were under threat to life; without such video evidence, killing was still a crime, considered a high-level permit for self-defense.
Bai Ye and the other eight participants were currently the nine most wanted criminals in this city, with bounties so high that a Hunter could live a life of luxury for generations without working, merely by sitting and spending. Therefore, every Hunter in this city was eager to apprehend these nine individuals.
After reviewing this information, Bai Ye felt that this wish mission was, relatively speaking, not as cruel or bloody. Compared to the simple and straightforward rule of "only one remains" in the Twelve Great Battles, a city-wide pursuit allowed for survival even if the mission reward was not obtained, similar to the Holy Grail War. However, the degree of cruelty and combat was higher than the Holy Grail War. This was because the ultimate goal of the Holy Grail War was merely to obtain the Holy Grail, not to kill; theoretically, it was possible for the wish mission to end without anyone dying. A city-wide pursuit was certainly not like that. The best-case scenario was only one death, and then after nine days, the one who successfully apprehended the target would win. The worst-case scenario was that after nine days, no one had completed the pursuit, which would then trigger a final battle, where the nine individuals would fight directly, and the last one standing would be the victor.
Bai Ye thought to himself, walking along the street, pulling up his collar, and looking around briefly before entering a clothing store.
A moment later, screams erupted from the clothing store, and customers continuously fled out. On the other side, Bai Ye quickly broke through the back door and grabbed a scarf from the store, tying it around his face. This was quite an awkward situation. Bai Ye had no intention of robbing the clothing store; he simply thought that with his current wanted status, walking openly on the street was not ideal, and he wanted to find something to cover his face. As soon as he entered, the large screen was playing wanted criminal information, and his own face, prominently displayed, appeared on screen. He then found himself staring at the sales assistant at the door for half a minute, after which she almost sent him away with a piercing shriek.
Emerging from the alley, Bai Ye quickly moved away to the side. As he proceeded, Bai Ye realized the direness of his situation; or rather, the situation of all nine participants was not good. Screens by the roadside, advertising boards, all broadcast news about the nine wanted criminals at regular intervals. The reason given was… the Villain Hunt Tournament of the Wish Mission! This was an annual event in the city, where a large number of Hunters pursued the nine selected wanted criminals with the highest bounties. And the already high rewards were doubled during the Villain Hunt Tournament, naturally driving the Hunters into a frenzy. Simultaneously, the entire city would broadcast the information of the wanted criminals, providing assistance to the Hunters.
"Damn it!" Upon learning of this situation, Bai Ye couldn't help but curse. Let alone in this life, even in his previous lives, the core of the wish missions Bai Ye had participated in was the competition among the chosen ones. This was the first time the chosen ones weren't fighting each other, and he might have to deal with the natives first.
Just then… Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat… A continuous burst of gunfire suddenly rang out. Bai Ye quickly ducked his head, instinctively performing a leap and rolling behind a car for cover.
"Are you kidding me? They're here that fast!" Although he had been exposed, being pursued by Hunters immediately after leaving the clothing store was far too efficient. But after the gunfire, Bai Ye found there was no further movement. This puzzled Bai Ye, and he couldn't help but peek out from behind the car and walk towards the corner where the gunshots had originated.
As Bai Ye reached the corner, a figure suddenly shot out. *Bang!*
"My nose!" Bai Ye and the other person simultaneously clutched their faces, instinctively stepping back, then looking up.
"Damn!" The figure who had shot out froze for a moment and cursed, "It's you again!" Bai Ye glanced sideways and saw that it was none other than Li Jia Yi.
The next instant, Li Jia Yi unleashed a sweeping leg kick towards Bai Ye. Bai Ye quickly raised his arm. *Bang!*
Their impacts collided. Li Jia Yi's hand trembled slightly, and then a burst of bright white light erupted. Bai Ye felt a sharp pain in his eyes, followed by darkness. Bai Ye cursed inwardly, blinded!
In the darkness, Bai Ye felt a blow to his chest and was sent flying backward, crashing violently into a car on the side, denting it. The blinding effect did not last long. Bai Ye quickly regained his vision and saw Li Jia Yi launching a ferocious knee strike towards him. *Bang!*
Bai Ye crossed his arms, blocking the blow again.
"F*** off!" Bai Ye cursed. "Are you after me? Go find number one!"
"How did you know I was number two?" Li Jia Yi was stunned for a moment, then became even more enraged, roaring at Bai Ye, "Was it you, you bastard, who started this wish mission? Compensate me for my Zouwu!"