At the same time, Yi Xing and Pan Binglong searched continuously within the city; they were assigned to the same team through a black-and-white pairing. According to the initial plan, the two would act together, but they couldn't withstand the sudden appearance of the Hunter.
Running to a fork in the road, Yi Xing pointed to the left and then ran to the right, signaling to split up to distract the Hunter. Since the Hunter's target had always been him, he unhesitatingly chased to the right.
He heard footsteps behind him and quickened his pace. Having just been released, how could he be caught again? He knew he had plenty of energy now. He ran to the spot Huang Xiaoming mentioned where he could run in circles.
Constantly turning left and right, he quickly distanced himself from the person chasing him and then shook off the Hunter. Leaning against the wall, he gasped slightly. Fortunately, someone had given him tips about the terrain earlier, otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.
After catching his breath, he noticed the house in front of him, thought for a moment, and then walked in. Things like Hunter Cards should be placed indoors, he reasoned; if hidden outdoors, they would be too difficult to find.
He generally checked all the decorations inside the house and took out his phone to check the time. Realizing there were still 13 minutes left, his actions became less urgent, and he searched little by little.
He found a Hunter Card lying quietly on a table, immediately picked it up, put it in his pocket, and protected it thoroughly. He cautiously poked his head out of the main entrance to observe his surroundings.
After Yi Xing repeatedly confirmed that there was no danger around, he quickly moved towards the main street. He was actually very conflicted about whether or not to add a Hunter to the opposing team's area, so he stayed near the live Hunter machine.
What made him make up his mind was the notification sent by the production team, which read:
“Due to Jia Nailiang of the Blue Team successfully checking, the Qin Dynasty area where the Red Team is located will have one additional Hunter.”
“Good, good, good! Xiao Liang Ge, you really don't show any mercy. Well, then I don't need to be conflicted anymore.” Yi Xing was so annoyed he laughed. He had been wondering whether to release one, but the other side was so decisive, so he didn't need to hesitate either.
He took out the Hunter Card from his pocket and quickly inserted it into the card slot on the machine's shoulder, adding another Hunter to the Song Dynasty area.
With this back and forth, the number of Hunters in the two areas became 7 and 6 respectively. Because Yi Xing's side started with one more, it remained one more even at the end.
However, the number of survivors in both areas significantly decreased, with 5 people surviving in the Qin Dynasty area and 4 in the Song Dynasty area, and only one minute remained.
At this point, one had to praise how well Ju Jingyi and the other three girls had hidden. From the start of the countdown until now, not a single one of them had been caught. Instead, the male team members who were constantly searching for Hunter Cards outside kept decreasing, eventually leaving only Yi Xing.
Hiding in a vat, she heard urgent footsteps outside. Combining this with the elimination information on her phone, there was only one person left running outside. She silently prayed for him, hoping he could escape the chase.
When Yi Xing saw that only one minute was left, he originally wanted to find a place to hide well. Before he could find one, he was discovered by the Hunter. He ran so intensely, shaking off one only for another to pop out nearby, overwhelmed.
Almost all the Hunters in the entire area were chasing and intercepting him alone, really giving him face. Just as the Hunter's hand was about to touch him, the countdown ended, and a notification from his phone arrived on everyone's phones.
“Revival mission ended. Qin Dynasty area has 5 survivors, Song Dynasty area has 4 survivors. The team that revived is Yi Xing's team from Qin Dynasty.”
He looked at the two Hunters behind him, completely still, and a wave of relief from surviving a disaster washed over him. Bending over, hands on his knees, he let the large drops of sweat fall to the ground, too exhausted to feel happy.
Gasping, he said, “You guys… worked hard… It’s finally… over.” After speaking, he sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, head slightly bowed, one hand resting on a bent leg. Even completely exhausted, he had to strike a handsome pose; being handsome was a lifelong endeavor.
After he felt he had rested enough, he slowly walked towards the meeting point. Along the way, he recalled being chased by 7 Hunters one after another, feeling a surge of emotion. It was truly thrilling.
Such an operation would probably only happen once. If he had to do it again, he wouldn't be confident at all and might even be caught immediately.
As he was walking slowly, someone called his name from behind.
“Yi Xing!”
He turned his head to see who it was. Before he could clearly see the figure, he felt a fragrant breeze hit him, and a figure solidly pounced onto his chest, followed by a clear thud. He even wondered if his ribs had been hit.
Because the person who hugged him was Jia Ling. The fact that he was still standing meant she had held back her strength, otherwise, he would have already fallen to the ground.
“Jia Ling Jie, that's enough hugging.”
“No, no.” She twisted her head back and forth. Yes, she was taking advantage. It was a rare opportunity to openly hug a young idol, so of course, she wanted the time to last a little longer.
Yi Xing looked at Ju Jingyi, who was standing by, with a pleading gaze, hoping she could help him pull the person in his arms away. Seeing this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. She walked forward, took Jia Ling's arm, and said,
“Ling Jie, alright, alright, just let him go. We still need to meet up with the others.”
Hearing someone come to persuade her, Jia Ling reluctantly let go of the person in front of her, not forgetting to playfully scold, “Oh, Xiao Ju, you really ruined my fun!”
In contrast, Yi Xing quickly turned around and rubbed his chest. This enthusiasm was a bit much for him to handle. Then he quickly turned back, smiling and looking at the person who had just helped him. He deeply wished that the person who had just hugged him was her and not her.
It's no wonder Jia Ling did so well in the entertainment industry; her ability to read people alone was enough for others to learn from. She quietly whispered in Ju Jingyi's ear,
“We all successfully revived. Aren't you going to hug him to celebrate? Don't be shy, learn from your elder sister!”
When she heard the words in her ear, her cheeks flushed slightly. She gently patted Jia Ling's arm and playfully chided, “Ling Jie~”
“Afraid of the camera catching it, right? It's okay, your elder sister is here. I'll block it all for you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she actively stood in front of the three camera operators, perfectly blocking the lenses.
Seeing that Jia Ling had gone to such lengths, Ju Jingyi felt that if she didn't do something, it would be a bit unfair to the other person's effort. She walked in front of Yi Xing, looked up at him, and opened her mouth, making him think she was about to say something.
While his attention was diverted, she quickly gave him a hug and then walked to the side, not giving him any time to react.
Yi Xing was stunned by her sudden hug, his mind instantly blank. When he reacted and wanted to hug her back, he found that she had already moved to the side.
But he didn't show any loss of composure. He cleared his throat and said, “Let's go, let's meet up with Xiao Ming Ge and the others.”