Hunter 92: Luring the Snake Out of the Hole

After some communication in the team channel, Linda, the little girl, looked at Lin Jiu with some fear and hid behind Summer Flame.

Lin Jiu had never fully trusted these few contractors and had been paying attention to them. Noticing a change in their expressions, he questioned them, "You're not in contact with those guys from earlier, trying to inform them, are you?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Hearing Lin Jiu's words and sensing the suspicious gazes around them, Gentle Youth and the others shook their heads in denial.

Jojo intervened to explain, "They can't possibly side with Kars. They were involved in Esidisi's death, and Kars would never let them off."

Lin Jiu thought about the relationship between the Pillar Brothers and the five contractors who participated in the attack on Esidisi. Kars indeed couldn't accept them.

...

"Doron, are we just going to leave like this?"

These contractors were temporarily gathered, so it was natural that they couldn't fully obey orders. In front of Lin Jiu and the others, they could listen to Doron and choose to retreat, as agreed when they appointed a temporary leader. But that didn't mean they wouldn't question Doran's decision after leaving.

"Gentle Youth and those five aren't weak, right? Yet in that team, they're just there to make up the numbers. Lisa Lisa, JoJo, Caesar, Messina, and that unknown contractor with a knife—can we win against them all together?"

Doran countered.

The contractor who asked the question suddenly went silent. Forget about the contractors; even if it were just the main team, the dozen or so contractors here might not be able to defeat them.

Another contractor asked, "So what do we do now? Are we just supposed to wait for death?"

"Not necessarily! If we can't confront them openly, we can play dirty. Let's have two brothers keep an eye on them from a distance!"

Doran smiled faintly as if everything was under his control.

If Lin Jiu knew what Doran was thinking, he might have laughed out loud. No seasoned strategist would boldly bring a large group of contractors to confront the enemy head-on. If there were to be an evaluation of this person, it would be that he's neither adept in strategy nor combat.

This group of contractors had some guts, but one small team had already completed one of the main tasks and successfully returned. Another group, with worse luck, was still trying to figure things out. Among the remaining contractors, some were not weak, but that didn't mean they were smart. They could only choose the best among them.

At this moment, Gentle Youth and his four companions were troubled, just like the other contractors.

Gentle Glory: "Boss, what should we do?"

White Sand: "If nothing unexpected happens, we only have about five days left."

Summer Flame: "If we have no other choice, we might have to take a risk and target Wamuu to complete the second main task."

Linda: "But that's too dangerous!"

Gentle Glory: "Boss, say something!"

Gentle Youth: "If I'm not mistaken, the contractor named Red has already completed the second main task. Santana probably died at his hands. This would explain why he contacted Jojo early on, and why Jojo knows about his strength."

Summer Flame: "Boss, you mean… he might have single-handedly killed Santana?"

Gentle Glory: "Oh my! Even though Santana is the weakest of the four Pillar Men, that's still incredible!"

Gentle Youth: "Not only that. To earn ErJojoo's respect, the only explanation is that not only did he single-handedly kill Santana, but the process wasn't too difficult."

Linda: "How does this relate to how we complete our task?"

Gentle Youth: "Of course, it relates. We can ask this powerful contractor for help."

Summer Flame: "Are you suggesting we have this contractor weaken Wamuu so we can finish him off? That's not realistic!"

Gentle Youth: "I know that. Our primary target is still the Red Stone of Aja. We only need to hold onto it for 24 hours. During this time, our coordinates will be exposed, but as long as we're in this team, those guys won't dare make a move."

White Sand: "But boss, how do we ask this contractor to help us temporarily obtain the Red Stone of Aja?"

Gentle Youth: "Seduction!"

Gentle Glory: "Ohhh~"

Summer Flame: "Boss… isn't that a bit much~"

Gentle Youth: "Who said it was you? Linda, it's up to you!"

Linda: "O_o?"

Summer Flame: "Huh? Boss, how do you know the contractor likes that type?"

Gentle Youth: "It's not about liking a type! The contractor hasn't paid attention to any other contractor, except to ask about Linda. What caught his eye is Linda's role as a healer!"

White Sand: "Boss, you mean we negotiate with the contractor, offering Linda's healing in exchange for his help with the main task?"

Gentle Youth: "Bingo!"

...

Lin Jiu didn't pay much attention to the expressions of the contractors, which indicated they were discussing something in their team channel. He was more concerned about those contractors who had left earlier. They might pop up at any time to cause trouble, so he needed to find a way to deal with them.

"If I need to deal with those guys, there's a way! They probably won't give up on keeping an eye on Jojo and the others..."

Lin Jiu gradually focused his gaze on Lisa Lisa.

Jojo suddenly raised an eyebrow and approached Lin Jiu, winking, "Red, are you interested in Teacher Lisa Lisa? Should I set you two up? Just a heads-up, Teacher Lisa Lisa has quite a temper~"

You've got some nerve, old man. Lin Jiu looked at Jojo with an expression he couldn't even describe. After a moment of silence, Lin Jiu patted Jojo on the shoulder, "Forget it. I'm not interested in becoming a father."

Jojo: "???"

After settling in at an inn, everyone gathered around a table for a meal and to discuss their strategy. Lin Jiu and Lisa Lisa distanced themselves from the group, talking about something on the balcony.

Seeing this, Jojo pouted and muttered, "Didn't you say you weren't interested?"

Bang!

What no one expected was that the two on the balcony suddenly started fighting. Lisa Lisa seemed to have been ambushed and didn't have time to react before being kicked. She slammed into the table, and Jojo noticed that a section of her scarf, which she wore around her neck, had been cut off, clearly indicating an attack aimed at her throat.

Holding the Red Stone of Aja, Lin Jiu coldly glanced at them before escaping from the balcony.

Gentle Youth and the others were dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events. They had planned to ask for the contractor's help, but before they could even make their move, the contractor had already turned against the main group.

Jojo and his team were also stunned for a moment before they snapped out of it, cursing as they rushed to the balcony. Looking outside, they could no longer see Red.

Caesar couldn't help but blame, "JoJo, look at the trouble you've caused! Inviting a wolf into our midst!"

"I..."

Jojo frowned, unable to say anything. He turned around to help Lisa Lisa up.

"Now's not the time to argue. We need to find a way to retrieve the Super Red Stone of Aja!"

Lisa Lisa placed her hand on her abdomen, thinking how strong Red's kick was. Ambushing a 50-year-old lady? How dishonorable.

After a while, when Lisa Lisa had recovered, she contacted the SPW Foundation to find a way to locate Lin Jiu. She told everyone to wait at the inn for news, and they could only wait with heavy hearts.

"Sending light troops to test the waters, using the brave and inexpensive soldiers, aiming north without seeking to gain. Setting up a subtle formation to probe their flanks—this is the greatest achievement! Luring the snake out of its hole, did you think I've never read The Art of War? Teacher, you're cunning!"

Jojo glanced thoughtfully at Lisa Lisa, then at the balcony, a gleam of understanding flashing in his eyes.

..

Meanwhile, Lin Jiu, who had just seized the Super Red Stone of Aja, received a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise.

[You have obtained the Super Red Stone of Aja. Please keep it in your possession for 24 hours. Remaining time: 23:53:00.]

[Your coordinates will be revealed on the public channel in 10 minutes and will remain visible for 1 minute.]

[The hunter's public number is a false number. Besides displaying the coordinates, no other means can track the hunter!]

At the same time, all the contractors received a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise on the public channel.

[The Super Red Stone of Aja has been acquired by contractor number 13014. The first location coordinate of this contractor will be revealed in ten minutes!]

Doran and his group of contractors naturally saw the public channel notification. They didn't know how the Super Red Stone of Aja suddenly ended up in a contractor's hands and were waiting for the scouts they had sent to return with information.

Regardless of what happened, they felt that it would be easier to steal the Super Red Stone of Aja from a contractor than from Lisa Lisa, which was a cause for celebration.