The Hunter's Game - Chapter 1

I had barely taken out a 1.2-million-yuan mortgage when I got laid off.

One look at my bank balance was enough to send me spiraling.

With no income, how was I supposed to make next month’s payment?

All those stories online about people defaulting, losing their homes, and still owing the bank hundreds of thousands came back to torment me.

I stubbed out my cigarette, finally made up my mind, and opened an app on my phone that I had not touched in a long time.

A black goat’s head, sinister in a way I could not quite name, appeared on the screen.

“Hello, Mr. Li Mo. It has been 578 days since your last login. Welcome back to the Black Goat Game.”

“This round will consist of twenty players. First prize is three million US dollars. The last-place penalty is one million US dollars. Will you participate?”

I hesitated for several seconds, then selected “Yes” in the lower-left corner.

The instant I submitted my registration, a text message arrived.

“Players must assemble at 52 North Ring Garden at 6:00 p.m. on October 13.”

I turned off the screen and rubbed my face. My bloodshot eyes ached.

The Black Goat Game was the brainchild of a pack of rich degenerates. Every round had a different theme, but all of them were designed to test the mind.

There were rarely more than thirty players in a round, and every one of them was a lunatic gambler.

Win, and you took home money. Lose, and you surrendered an organ—or a hand, or a foot.

There were professional players, too. They came with teams, leveraged their numerical advantage, analyzed the rules, found loopholes, and exploited them. By fair means or foul, they locked down victory before anyone else had a chance.

If you ran into them, you could only curse your luck.

In the circle, those professionals had a name: Hunters.

The first time I entered the game, I met one. It cost me two fingers.

But did I have a choice?

I smiled bitterly. If I missed another mortgage payment, the bank would sue me, and I would be liable for tens of thousands in legal fees on top of everything else.

Strangely, the thought of returning to that terrible game inspired neither dread nor fear.

This time, I had already made up my mind. Either I would win and change my life, or I would be completely, utterly fucked.

On the evening of October 13, I arrived at 52 North Ring Garden. It was a small town of European-style buildings, home to both residents and a good number of shops.

I stopped outside a villa. After I scanned a QR code with my phone, a staff member waved me inside.

I quietly surveyed the living room. Twelve or thirteen players were already seated.

I chose an inconspicuous spot and settled down to wait.

A while later, the villa doors opened and five or six men poured in. They all wore ripped jeans and leather jackets. One had a nose ring, another had pierced ears, and others sported tattoos of azure dragons and white tigers. Their gaudy getups looked absurdly out of place here.

Their leader was in his thirties. He had a mohawk and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, its smoke curling around his face.

Our eyes met through one of the drifting rings.

I recognized him. He recognized me.

“Well, well! If it isn’t Brother Mo.” He raised his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise and came over.

I drew a breath. The stumps of my two missing fingers seemed to throb.

He gave me a crooked smile. “Been two years, hasn’t it? What, broke again? Take some friendly advice and walk away. This game isn’t for you.”

“You”—he tapped a finger against my temple—“don’t have the brains for it. This game takes smarts. Reckless courage won’t get you anywhere.”

He patted my shoulder, winked, then turned and called his men over to a comfortable sofa, where they sprawled as if they owned the place.

I said nothing. I only kept rubbing the place where my fingers had been.

The game from two years ago replayed in my mind.

“Brother Mo, clear this round and we’re guaranteed to win. Trust me. When you enter the Gate of Judgment, choose the Sword of Justice on the left. Once you have it, you’ll be the biggest winner in the game. And when we win, don’t forget our deal. We split the prize fifty-fifty.”

“Don’t worry, Old Nine! I never would’ve scored this high without you. Just wait here. I’ll go get the Sword of Justice.”

The memory flashed. I emerged from the Gate of Judgment holding the Sword of Justice, my face radiant with the certainty that I was about to become champion.

Then the dealer announced my score, and my smile froze.

“Why? I took the Sword of Justice! It’s the highest-scoring item. You must have made a mistake!”

“There is no mistake. You obtained the Black Demon Sword, a death item. Five hundred points will be deducted. You now have the lowest score of any player.”

“Mr. Li Mo, unfortunately, this round has ended and you have lost. You have two choices: accept a penalty of one million US dollars, or have two fingers severed.” The dealer’s icy voice struck me square in the chest.

The scene shifted again, and Old Nine’s grinning face filled my vision.

“Brother Mo, you need a brain to play this game. Why can’t you get that through your head? Yeah, I swapped the Sword of Justice for the Black Demon Sword. Your score was higher than mine, so I made a tiny adjustment.”

“Split the prize? Who the fuck would be stupid enough to hand over half the money already in his pocket?”

“That one and a half million dollars is mine. Thanks.”

“And another thing: my name isn’t Chen Jiutong. I’m Snake Nine, a Hunter—a professional player. You know what that means? I analyze the rules, find the loopholes, then pick an idiot like you and—snip!—harvest the chump. Easiest money in the world.”

Snake Nine smiled darkly, his tiny eyes making him look exactly like his namesake.

A Hunter. Two years later, and I had run into him again.

I watched in silence as he stretched out his legs and lounged comfortably across the sofa.

His five lackeys sat around him. The blond one went by Gold Ring; the silver-haired one, Silver Ring. I had never seen the other three. He had probably hired them.

While I was lost in the past, the dealer for this round finally appeared.