Chapter Seventeen: One Eye

“All right, big brother, just try to look on the bright side. As long as you make it through the injection at midnight, you’ll be safe and sound.”

“That’s easy to say, but who knows if tonight’s ‘Man Hunt’ game is really safe.”

Mu You sighed as he typed in “Man Hunt” to look it up.

Man Hunt: A competitive event in Death Row Paradise, open to both condemned inmates and free citizens. From 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., a two-hour time limit applies. Condemned prisoners are forcibly hunted by free citizens who have paid a high price for the privilege of capturing them. Captured inmates have their identities erased and become the property of their owners, to be kept and used at will.

“Kept like livestock!” Mu You thought. “Death Row Paradise really is perverse.”

A flash of the prison warden’s “Final Sentence” tattoo crossed his mind—if he was really caught, would he end up like that? He shivered, his imagination running wild: an ancient woman wrapped in sagging folds of flesh, dressed in nothing but a three-piece suit, grinning as she approached the iron cage, a whip in hand, and inside, he himself cowering and trembling.

Stop! Stop!

Mu You shook his head and kept reading.

Game Process: Free citizens may equip themselves with melee weapons and hunt inmates as they please, by whatever means. As soon as an inmate comes within ten meters of a citizen, their mechanical wristband will emit an alarm, alerting both sides to prepare for pursuit or flight.

Special Notes:

1. Angel masks (final prize for citizens) and devil masks (final prize for inmates) are hidden throughout the park. Whichever party finds the corresponding mask may claim the championship and can choose to either end the game or let it continue.
2. Citizens are strictly forbidden from carrying firearms or other ranged weapons, or they will face massive penalties.
3. Participants this round include all condemned prisoners in Block A. The floor with the fewest remaining inmates will have its “dangerous” leader forced to participate in the “Losers’ Lament Parade.” All dangerous inmates are advised to strategize for the team event in advance.

Special Warning: Inmates may only flee, not resist. Any resistance will bring immediate execution of the “Final Sentence”!

“Shit!” Mu You cursed aloud at the third rule.

It’s not the gods I fear, but the idiots on my own team. If they get caught, what’s that got to do with me? And what the hell is the “Losers’ Lament Parade”?

“Sorry, your clearance is insufficient. However, the system suggests you try the ‘Losers’ Lament Parade’ for yourself—an experience you’ll never forget,” the system’s smug voice chimed in, driving Mu You up the wall.

First prize in “Man Hunt” was a single candy, exchangeable for an item of equal value—one hundred thousand points, a year’s worth of food!

Looks like he’d have to plan carefully—not just to survive the midnight injection, but to track down the devil mask if possible.

At lunch, when Mu You entered the Block A cafeteria, he immediately sensed many furtive glances his way. At the food counter, inmates from the thirteenth floor automatically parted to make way for him.

He felt a surge of emotion but kept his face impassive. After he got his meal, a lackey rushed to swipe his card for him, bowing and scraping with a “Take care, Boss Mu,” then watched him leave.

Without looking left or right, Mu You nodded and picked a seat at random. Seeing He Jing watching him, he beckoned her over with a crooked finger, slung one leg over the bench, and started wolfing down his food with a swagger.

He Jing hadn’t expected Mu You to single her out in front of everyone. Remembering how he’d acted like a clueless kid that morning, and seeing him now—bald, bloodied, exuding a fierce gangster aura as he gnawed on a chicken leg—she felt grateful for her earlier attempt to win his favor.

She sat across from him as gingerly as if the bench might break, perching on the edge, back ramrod straight, not daring to touch her food or interrupt his meal.

Mu You ignored her, eating his fill before wiping his mouth and letting out a satisfied burp, then grinned at her with a goofy, harmless expression.

He Jing squirmed under his smile, finally blurting out, “Boss Mu, please don’t mess with me. At first, I thought you were young and naive, maybe easy to recruit. I had selfish motives but meant no harm. Even though you’re a dangerous inmate, you’d be far better off with me than with those schemers—at least you’d have a chance at survival.”

Her gaze was sincere as she spoke, each word carefully chosen.

Mu You didn’t much care for her confession, but her attitude caught him off guard.

Instead of answering, he changed the subject: “How many times have you played Man Hunt?”

He Jing saw that he wasn’t angry and breathed a sigh of relief, answering freely. “Three times. Honestly, all the prizes are for the citizens. For us inmates, just not getting killed or caught is a win. Since the event started, only one dangerous inmate has ever found the devil mask—and he disappeared afterward.”

Mu You laced his fingers under his chin. It seemed winning was no easy feat.

He Jing watched his expression carefully, lowering her voice. “Every game, at least a fifth of the inmates are killed or captured—sometimes even more. And…” She hesitated, then added, “If you get caught, you’re better off dead. Once you lose your legal rights, the citizens will treat you worse than animals—body and mind.”

Mu You’s gaze lingered for a long moment before he looked at her. She quickly looked away, head lowered, waiting for his judgment.

“What do you know about the Losers’ Lament Parade?”

He Jing froze, her eyes flickering before she looked at him for the first time. “My advice: don’t ever take part in that show. Any dangerous inmate who has, never breathes a word about it—and most are soon replaced, their lives utterly miserable. But there are exceptions. Our floor’s last dangerous inmate not only survived but became even more formidable. He was transferred for further modification not long ago. No one knows what became of him.”

Mu You smiled at her well-meaning warning and motioned for her to eat.

The inmates sat by floor, each group clustered around their own dangerous leader. Mu You’s table was the same, except for a small separate group at the end.

Seeing him glance over, He Jing quickly explained, “Those are the former leader’s followers. The two most troublesome were dealt with this morning, but you should still keep an eye out for trouble.”

“I suspect trouble’s already brewing,” Mu You said with a wry smile.

He Jing turned to look.

One of the blond youths from the splinter group, having finished his meal, picked up his tray and swaggered away—deliberately crashing into a twelfth-floor inmate and dumping soup all over him.

“Are you fucking blind?!” The twelfth-floor inmate, hot-tempered, grabbed the blond by the collar.

Behind him, all the twelfth-floor inmates stood up, glaring menacingly at the thirteenth.

“Think we don’t have anyone here?!”

The splinter group leapt to their feet, one shouting as he looked over toward Mu You’s table.

Seeing their own being bullied, several thirteenth-floor inmates stood up too, but after glancing at Mu You and seeing he hadn’t moved, a few hesitated and sat back down.

The thirteenth floor’s momentum instantly evaporated.

“Hell, anyone can play at bullying people.”

A burly man with chest hair, sitting close to Mu You’s table, picked up a bowl of soup and poured it over the head of a short inmate nearby.

Instantly, tofu and cabbage dripped from the man’s head. The burly man mashed the tofu into his face, prompting a chorus of laughter from his companions.

The short inmate’s face flushed red with rage as soup stung his eyes, but he stared back, refusing to look away.

“What, you got a problem?” The burly man, seeing the defiance, grabbed him by the hair and yanked him closer, their faces inches apart. “What, you don’t like it?”

The short inmate trembled, forcing out a few words through clenched teeth, “You want to die?”

The big man burst out laughing, turning to his group.

“Did you hear that? He asked if I wanted to die! Ha!”

The twelfth-floor inmates howled with laughter as if they’d heard the world’s greatest joke. Some even spat in Mu You’s direction.

The thirteenth-floor inmates looked at Mu You, frustrated and resentful.

The splinter group exchanged conspiratorial grins. Lost their morale—let’s see how you show off tonight.

“Haha… I’d love to die. If you’ve got the guts—go on, kill me!” the burly man sneered, his tone turning vicious. Just as he was about to lash out, Mu You stood up.

Across the room, the other dangerous inmate slowly stood as well.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Mu You casually picked up a fry from He Jing’s tray, dipped it in ketchup, and tasted it. He nodded to her.

“Not bad. Bring me some tonight—I’ll be hungry after the game.”

With that, he strode toward the blond troublemaker.

Both inmates stepped back as he approached.

Mu You ignored the soup-stained inmate, focusing on the blond.

“Boss Mu, just now—” the blond started.

Before he could finish, Mu You grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head up to eye level. The pain forced him to crouch, but he dared not resist.

Mu You’s expression was calm as he said, “You’ve seen what happens to people who cross me.”

The blond hadn’t expected Mu You to see through him so easily. For the first time, panic flashed across his face.

“This gentleman said you’re blind. I agree. Don’t you?”

“Yes, yes, I’m blind,” the blond stammered, unnerved by Mu You’s icy composure.

But how many people had really seen what just happened? If Mu You punished him now, he’d lose everyone’s support!

With that thought, he regained some of his nerve.

“In that case, let’s take one out…”