The light dimmed the moment we entered the crimson corridor.

The air was humid and stuffy, with a strong smell of humus and rust.

Beneath my feet lies soft, mutated moss, and all around me grow giant, twisted, fluorescent fungi that emit a pale green glow, barely illuminating the surroundings.

Above was a towering, rusty metal dome, with countless thick vines and cables hanging down.

One hundred 'hunters' and their 'substitute dolls' gathered in the entrance hall.

On the high platform ahead, a holographic projection lit up, displaying the face of a middle-aged man with a serious expression and sinister eyes.

“He is Carlyle Margaret, my mother’s older brother, a gloomy, cunning, and wicked man. He is the one who created this Scarlet Corridor.”

Verina's voice rang in Mingxi's ears, very low, but loud enough for Mingxi to hear.

Mingxi understood.

"Welcome to the Crimson Corridor, the Quarterly Hunting Event."

Carlyle's voice, amplified, echoed throughout the space.

"The rules are simple: survive for twenty-four hours in the Crimson Corridor."

You can act alone or in a team.

The interior of the corridor has been re-divided into seven zones, each with a different ecological environment and threats.

Your initial login map and the coordinates of some basic resources on the map have been sent to your personal terminals.

He paused, his gaze seemingly sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Verina.

"In addition to the exotic beasts, we have also released one hundred aliens and ten mutated races for this hunting event."

Upon hearing this, many people tensed up. It was one thing for the superhumans to be different, but the mutated races were terrifyingly powerful superhuman creatures. This hunt would be even more intense than before.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions not particularly pleasant.

Apart from a few individuals with particular hobbies, most of the people who came to participate in the hunting party were in a similar situation to Verina.

They were either deliberately sent here by their families to be punished, or they were framed and implicated.

Although many people carry a 'substitute doll', these 'substitute dolls' are still human beings with selfish desires, and few would actually risk their lives for someone else.

Even a 'substitute doll' bound to a 'life-saving' item can still encounter unexpected problems.

In short, whether a 'substitute doll' can truly replace someone else depends entirely on fate.

The increased danger of hunting has come as a bolt from the blue for many.

The head of the Margaret family continued, "In addition, we have set up twelve 'special prey' and one hidden prey this time. We will send you the real-time location coordinates of the hidden prey from time to time."

Hunters who successfully hunt special prey can choose one item from the custom SSS-grade mechanical beast and the SSS-grade body-strengthening potion provided by the Margaret family and the Shadow Raven family, respectively.

Hunters who hunt hidden prey can get both!

"Whoosh!"

Everyone was astonished.

Even though many people present were not short of money, both SSS-class mechanical beasts and SSS-class body-strengthening potions were priceless treasures that could not be obtained even if one had the money.

And if you can get it by hunting one special prey, what if you kill more?

Moreover, one could earn contribution points by hunting down anyone or any prey in the hunting club.

These contribution points can be exchanged for all sorts of good things.

The holographic projection switched, displaying the portraits of twelve people.

Mingxi's eyes flickered slightly.

She saw three familiar faces.

Captain of Team 2, Jin Hui Group, codename 'Grey Falcon'.

Members of Silverwing Group Team 1, codenamed 'Iron Wing' and 'Feather'.

Their eyes were vacant, and they all had distinctive gray circular branding marks on their foreheads.

These are soul-binding marks placed on them by a supernatural creature called the Grey Gull. Once marked, they are «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» subject to deep control by the Grey Gull at any time, losing their sense of self.

The other nine people also had round brand marks on their foreheads.

As expected, members of both the Golden Radiance Group and the Silver Wing Group got into trouble.

These three people...

“In addition,” Carlisle continued, “during the hunting season, environmental events will be randomly activated in the corridor—it could be a gas leak, a regional gravity disturbance, or a rampage by some dangerous species.”

So I wish you all a pleasant hunt.

The projection is off.

A brief silence fell over the hall, followed by a stir among the crowd.

They all checked the map or formed teams.

Then they rushed toward different passage entrances.

Verina quickly checked her terminal, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Our initial location is in Zone C, the fungal forest."

Derek is in Area B, the Corrosive Swamp.

My mother was so kind; she arranged for me and my dear brother to live far away from home.

She closed the terminal and looked at Mingxi: "Let's go, let's go into area C3 first. According to the map, there is an old observation station there. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack, so we can rest there for a while."

Although Verina had never participated in the hunting party, she was still the illegitimate daughter of the Shadow Raven family, so she could still investigate some information.

Mingxi was just an accessory, offering no opinions whatsoever, acting like a refined little man.

Aside from their own standard weapons, no items can be brought into the Crimson Corridor, nor can pets be summoned for combat.

Because of the special magnetic field of the Crimson Corridor, it can shield the energy wavelengths of props and pet spaces.

The two of them, one in front of the other, quickly disappeared into a passage illuminated by bulb mushrooms and fluorescent mushrooms.

The passage meandered downwards, the moss grew thicker and thicker, and glowing spores began to float in the air.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sounds of footsteps and breathing.

After walking for about ten minutes, faint roars and sounds of fighting came from ahead.

Verina grabbed Mingxi's hand, signaling her to stop. The two of them quietly pressed themselves against the wall of the passage, peeking out half their heads to observe.

Ahead was a relatively open mushroom forest, where five or six participants were besieging a mutated lizard the size of an ox and covered in bone spurs.

These lizards are not extraordinary creatures, but ordinary wild beasts that mutated due to the energy leak from Zeta Star, which is the alien beast that Carlisle mentioned.

They certainly don't have the ability to awaken skills, but they are exceptionally ferocious and bloodthirsty.

Over the centuries, the vast majority of strange beasts have been exterminated, but for some ulterior motives, many families have deliberately kept a number of them.

Although exotic beasts cannot be compared with extraordinary creatures, they have extremely strong survival abilities and are equally troublesome for beast tamers who do not have pet beasts to assist them in battle.

The aliens, like the alien beasts, are humans who mutated during the energy leak incident on Zeta Planet. They have lost their human instincts and are more like wild beasts than wild animals.

The Inhumans and Beasts of Zeta Rem cannot survive on other planets; they will perish if they leave Zeta Rem. That is why Inhumans and Beasts have never appeared in other parts of the Alliance.

It can be considered a 'specialty' of Zeta Planet.

The battle on that side was fierce; one person had already fallen into a pool of blood.

"It's a 'Bone Spike Lizard,' a common alien beast on Zetalem."

Verina whispered, “Their weakness is in the soft membrane below their throat, but that location is too well hidden to be easily attacked.”

Let's go around it, there's no need..."

Before she could finish speaking, Mingxi suddenly grabbed her shoulder and looked sharply toward the other side of the mushroom forest.

"There's someone there."

Mingxi's voice was very soft.

"Two of them, lurking behind those giant umbrella-shaped fungi over there."

Verina squinted and looked closely.

Sure enough, in the shadow of the dark blue cap, two figures could be vaguely seen, almost blending into the environment.

Their movements were so coordinated that their breathing was almost imperceptible.

Just then, the bone lizard was struck in the back by a hunter with a large axe. It let out a shrill roar, lashed out with its tail, and sent another person flying.

The hunter crashed into a mushroom stem and was temporarily incapacitated.

The two who had been lying in wait made their move.

Like two ghostly figures, they darted out of the shadows with astonishing speed!

One of them lunged at the wounded hunter, a cold glint flashing in his hand.

He precisely slit the other person's throat.

The other man rushed toward the wounded hunter.

It's also a one-hit kill.

The technique was exceptionally swift and skillful.

Even the bone-spiky lizard had its neck membrane pierced by an unknown tool in the man's hand.

The whole process took less than five seconds.

By the time the other participants realized what was happening, the two had already disappeared back into the depths of the mushroom forest.

"These two are incredibly strong...wait, they seem to be special prey!"

Verina murmured, her heterochromatic eyes lighting up, "They are definitely not ordinary beast tamers, but more like mercenaries who have been living on the edge for years."

"This special prey is more like a hunter than us hunters. We're really in deep trouble this time."

She looked at Mingxi: "Brother Keyi, are you scared?"

Mingxi remained silent.

This person is definitely a better actress than her.

"Stop joking. Since they are special prey and they just happened to appear in front of us, let's follow them and see if we can find any.

Verina glanced at her.

Do you want me to believe you or not?

Well, she's my collaborator after all, so I'll just go along with her.

Verina glanced at him and smiled, "Okay, whatever you say."

The two silently followed the two figures, venturing deep into the dark heart of the crimson corridor.

Unbeknownst to them, in the main control room of the corridor, Nissell Margaret and her daughter Lily Shadowsong were watching dozens of surveillance screens.

One of the screens showed Verina and Mingxi following behind.

Nisel picked up a glass of blood-red wine, a cold smile curving her lips.

"The stage is set up and the actors have entered."

She looked at her veiled, silent daughter beside her:

"My dear Lily, don't worry, Mommy will never let those who hurt you get away with it." She tilted her head back and drank the blood wine in one gulp.

Mingxi and Verina followed the two for a short while.

Two special prey roamed through the mushroom forest, their movements seemingly random, but subtly adhering to tactical evasion principles.

They stopped twice to set up makeshift traps, clearly to guard against pursuers.

"They are moving towards Zone D."

Verina checked the terminal map and frowned. "Sector D is the 'old experimental zone,' with a high radiation level and a more complex environment."

As soon as she finished speaking, the terminal on her wrist suddenly emitted a piercing beep, and a red warning popped up on the screen:

【Announcement: Hidden Prey Coordinates Released for the First Time】

【Coordinates: 332.298】

Verina looked at her location.

Goodness, the coordinates are exactly the same as the notification coordinates.

The so-called hidden prey was clearly her!

Damn it!

Verina gritted her teeth, "That bitch Nisel... she really did something!"

Although she had a premonition, when she actually became that damn hidden prey, she really wanted to swear.

Almost simultaneously, several whooshing sounds came from afar.

Three tranquilizer arrows were embedded in the fungal stalks beside them, their fletchings trembling slightly.

"It really was you!"

Derek's voice came from behind, tinged with smugness, "Little sister, don't run away, your big brother is here to protect you!"

Derek burst out of the passage with his doll-like body double, both of them wielding powerful tranquilizer crossbows.

They clearly knew Verina's hidden prey's identity all along, and even had their real-time coordinates.

We arrived as soon as the coordinates were announced.

"Go hide!"

Verina didn't try to be brave; she slipped behind a giant mushroom.

Mingxi quickly retreated, taking the longbow off her back at the same time.

"Ke Yi, don't fight head-on!"

Before Verina could finish speaking, Derek's stand-in doll, named Lintong, rushed forward and raised the tranquilizer crossbow.

Mingxi's eyes narrowed.

She didn't nock an arrow; instead, she drew the bowstring with her bare hands, and a golden arrow, shimmering with starlight, materialized at her fingertips.

The bowstring vibrated.

The golden arrow left the bowstring at a speed far exceeding that of a physical arrow, and accurately struck the wrist of the crossbowman in Lintong.

The tranquilizer crossbow slipped from his hand, causing Lin Tong to groan and momentarily lose his senses.

Derek was horrified: "What the hell?!"

That male concubine just... shot without using an arrow? Where did that arrow come from?

Appearing out of thin air?!

Could it be a spatial artifact?!

impossible!

The Crimson Corridor can even block divine artifacts, so it's impossible for anyone to activate spatial items here.

What exactly happened just now?

He recalled the identity of Verina's substitute doll, who was Yulanka of the Turan tribe. Could it be that this Turan Yulanka really had Geng Jintianyou's abilities?

Geng Jin Tianyou is said to be a rare, ranged, steel-type, and fighting-type extraordinary creature that uses Geng Jin Arrows!

He was greatly shocked.

I feel like my values ​​need to be reshaped.

Verina seized the opportunity and smashed out a vial of potions.

The props are unusable, but the potions are.

The bottle shattered, bursting into a thick purple smoke that quickly spread and obscured visibility.

"Damn it! That little bitch Verina actually used Phantom Dust! Lintong, hold your breath!"

Derek reacted quickly, shouting a warning to Lintong before covering his mouth and nose.

Yes.

That's right.

Verina is a pharmacist, a pharmacist with a special constitution that can greatly enhance the quality and efficacy of medicines.

He is known as a born SSS-level pharmacist.

This is why Darian Shadowsong has always been so accommodating to Verina's every request.

Ultimately, only self-interest wins people's hearts.

The moment the phantom dust rose into mist, Mingxi seized the opportunity to fire three arrows in quick succession. Two of the arrows struck Derek and Lintong in the right legs, causing them to lose their footing.

The third arrow was shot at the vines hanging from the top of the passage.

The thick vine snapped and crashed down, blocking the pursuit of the other hunters who were charging towards them.

"Walk!"

Mingxi pulled Verina up and rushed towards Sector D.

The purple smoke and vines behind them temporarily blocked the pursuers.

The scene in Zone D is completely different.