Chapter Five: Jin Xueli—The Hunter Harassed Relentlessly

Jin Xueli stood before her own funeral portrait, a persistent buzzing filling her ears.

A funeral wreath was blocking her front door. The moment she opened it, she was met with a blurred, smiling image of herself. The black-and-white portrait had been crudely nailed to the center of the wreath, and a line of vicious, bright red letters spelling "BITCH" tore across her smiling face.

It was her first time seeing an Asian-style funeral wreath in real life. Amidst the surge of shock and rage, a tiny part of her couldn't help but marvel at how authentic the wreath looked—exactly like those on television. She wondered where on earth one would even go to have such a thing made.

As for the person who had placed it there, she wasn't curious at all, because she knew exactly who it was.

Jin Xueli kicked the wreath over, slammed the door shut, and pulled out her phone as she walked toward the elevator.

"Get up here right now and see what’s been left at my door."

She had lived in this building for three years, and this was the first time she had ever spoken to the building manager with such raw, booming fury. Before today, she had always been careful to remain polite.

"What right do you have to charge such exorbitant rent and management fees? Is this how the most expensive property in Blackmoor City operates? Are your security guards mummies stolen from the national museum next door? Are they dead? I told you there’s a pervert stalking me. Why wasn't security tightened? How did you let him get all the way to my front door?"

When Jin Xueli first moved into this building, she had felt like an imposter.

Under normal circumstances, someone like her—coming from a modest immigrant family, without an elite education, and working an ordinary job—would never pass the vetting process, even if she saved her rent money for a lifetime. It was impossible to move into this century-old landmark, which had been designated as a historical site.

The layers of barriers formed by class and social networks made it difficult even for new tech billionaires to rent an apartment here, let alone buy one.

Shortly after she moved in, she had met a lady in the elevator who chatted with her very cordially, leaving Jin Xueli secretly pleased. Just before the elevator reached the lobby, the lady had smiled and asked, "Who do you work for? We happen to be interviewing for a maid right now."

It took her several seconds to realize that the woman had mistaken her for household staff.

Even if her attire was similar to theirs, for some reason, others could tell at a glance that she didn't belong to this class—the building manager on the phone was one of those people.

"Miss Jin," the manager said, using a tone that was almost sympathetically kind. "I am very sorry. But you may not be aware—it is our policy to avoid interfering with the personal affairs of our residents.

"The people our residents typically associate with are well-known, respectable individuals. This is the first time such a thing has happened. According to security, he said he wanted to give you a surprise and had brought flowers, so we weren't aware that you were having a romantic dispute with your boyfriend..."

"It’s not a romantic dispute, it’s stalking and harassment!" Jin Xueli snapped, not even bothering to address the implication behind the term "respectable individuals." "And he’s not my boyfriend, and he brought a funeral wreath!"

She had gone on a few dates with the man, and he had indeed visited, having been granted access. It was only after he saw her residence and her lifestyle that he began to constantly demand money and gifts. She couldn't stand it, so she decided to cut off all contact.

She hadn't expected that "rejection" could incite such intense, uncontrollable hatred.

"Right, right, I will have someone clear the wreath away immediately. Security is different from you; they didn't recognize the type of wreath, so it’s understandable. I hope you can be forgiving," the building manager said. "However, Miss Jin, I would also like to ask you to communicate with him properly and calm the situation down. After all, the residents here are quite low-key and quiet; they don't appreciate this kind of disturbance..."

"So, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you?"

Jin Xueli was so angry she couldn't even hear what the manager said next. She hung up and kicked the elevator door hard.

When she left the building, she didn't let the doorman call her a cab. She walked absentmindedly into the scorching morning sun of the Blackmoor City streets.

Jin Xueli could call the police or apply for a restraining order, but neither was a guarantee.

It might require her to become a victim before the police would take action. A restraining order might deter a normal person, but how much effect would it have on a lunatic?

For most women, besides calling the police and trying to hide, all that was left to do was pray. But that man, Anthony, likely didn't know that what Jin Xueli was truly capable of went far beyond that.

She wandered for a while before making up her mind and hailing a taxi.

The timing was perfect. By the time she reached the Blue-River District, "Backlight" had just opened.

The bar was hidden behind a flight of stairs that descended from the sidewalk; pedestrians could barely see its sign. In Jin Xueli’s memory, the sign’s light had never been on, as if it didn't matter whether passersby could see it or not.

She pushed open the faded wooden door, and amidst the creaking of dry hinges, she stepped into a cramped, dim basement.

In the gloom, chairs were stacked upside down on the tables, and cardboard boxes were piled in the booths. The air was stale and cool, floating with dust, the smell of alcohol, and a faint hint of vomit.

"You’re here early?"

The back door was pushed open, and a man poked his head in before walking behind the bar. He looked like a shar-pei; his eyebrows and eyes drooped, and he looked friendly in a canine sort of way.

He turned on the television for her and gestured toward the bar. "Take a seat, I’m just tidying up."

On the television hanging in the corner of the bar's ceiling, the midday news came on. A baby elephant had been born at the Blackmoor City Central Island Zoo, and the news anchor was beaming.

"Any news?" Jin Xueli asked, sitting down. "I’m planning to head over in the next couple of days."

"There’s a team shorthanded, looking for an experienced hunter with no family or faction ties. I thought, isn't that you?"

The bartender’s shar-pei-like face remained buried behind the bar. He seemed to be crouching on the floor, scrubbing a cabinet door. Through the sound of the rag rubbing, he said, "The pay isn't much, three thousand dollars, heading out next week. Of course, the final outcome has nothing to do with you."

A few years ago, three thousand dollars would have made her eyes light up like flashlights. But now, it wasn't enough to cover the trouble of making a move.

"It’s not convenient for me to work with others; I have some private business this time. Any other contracts?"

"Then there’s not—"

He had only just begun to speak when the television suddenly blared with urgent music, prompting Jin Xueli to glance at the screen—it was breaking news.

"According to what we have just learned," the anchor said, her face solemn, "the founder, shareholder, and CEO of the Pine-Wood Consortium, Mr. Wesley, was found dead in his estate in the Upstate District this morning at the age of 59. The cause of death is suspected to be sudden heart failure, and the police have begun an investigation... Mr. Wesley was also a state legislator and a philanthropist..."

Jin Xueli froze and said, "He’s dead?"

The shar-pei face poked out from behind the bar, looking at the screen. "You knew him?"

"No, not personally. But I have a client who has some dealings with him... I thought I might be able to do some business with him in the future, what a pity." As she spoke, she dismissed the richest man in Blackmoor City from her mind. "You don't have any other tasks?"

"You can wait a few more days; maybe something will come up." The bartender began scrubbing the beer taps again. "When are you planning to go?"

Jin Xueli took out her phone, intending to check the time, but saw over twenty text messages from an unknown number. She didn't even need to open them to know they were full of pathetic pleas, obscenities, and threats.

She had already blocked four or five numbers, but it seemed she couldn't stop the stalker at all.

"I’m going tonight. If there are no tasks, then forget it." She put her phone away, her tone chilling. "I have a small but disgusting problem that I need to go deal with, and I have to bring something back to solve it."

The bartender nodded and asked, "The same drink? Or to go?"

"Yes," at the mention of the drink, Jin Xueli felt her face turn pale. "I didn't bring a cup. Just find two plastic bottles to put it in."

The mere thought of the concoction he prepared made her stomach churn, even before she drank it. She felt as though she wanted to vomit out her very internal organs in advance.

No matter how many times she drank it, Jin Xueli could never adapt to the taste of the alcohol. Having forced herself to drink it for years, she felt like one of Pavlov's dogs; sometimes, just smelling alcohol on someone else was enough to make her legs go weak and her stomach turn.

"Only the drink you mix gives me the effect I need. If I drink anything else, my mind goes numb, but my limbs become heavy and soft, and I just pass out the moment I close my eyes. That would be gambling with my life."

A fleeting smile appeared on the bartender’s face. "But it’s not efficient enough, is it? I’ll keep an eye out for you to see if there’s any suitable medication."

If she could just take a pill to achieve the same effect, that would be wonderful. However, until she got the medicine, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and force the alcohol down.

If she wanted to continue living this life.

When night fell, Jin Xueli changed into jogging shoes and athletic wear, tying her hair into a tight bun.

She packed her usual gear into a backpack—not an ordinary bookbag, but a hiker’s wilderness pack that reached half her height, large enough to hold a sleeping bag.

Although she didn't intend to stay long, Jin Xueli dared not be careless. She still brought a hunting knife, a lady's pistol, and a can of bear spray.

It was a pity that, bound by real-world laws, she couldn't use any of these directly on the stalker; in the end, she had to take a long, circuitous route.

The time on her phone jumped to 9:43 PM.

Message after message from different numbers continued to pour in, piling up at the bottom of the screen. She hadn't opened a single one; the unread notification count had already reached 129.

Jin Xueli had discovered a few hours ago that the stalker had posted her number on several adult websites; the messages that came in afterward were not only nauseating but impossible to block all at once.

She simply shoved her phone into the very bottom of her backpack, out of sight and out of mind.

Night stained the floor-to-ceiling glass window black; she sat on the floor, feeling as if she were floating in mid-air, suspended between the skyscrapers of Blackmoor City and its countless lights.

The neon glow, like shattered diamonds, would continue to illuminate the deep night until dawn. This city, the largest and most prosperous in the world, never slept and never stopped.

She endured the discomfort and swallowed the drink the bartender had prepared for her, mouthful by mouthful. Soon, her consciousness was burned into a light, airy state, and her blood began to churn. Even though her apartment was silent, she could hear a faint buzzing everywhere.

The primitive fear evolved over millions of years was not something that could be overcome or habituated through repeated attempts.

If she didn't drink large amounts of alcohol and let her mind go dull and hazy, Jin Xueli wouldn't even have the courage to walk to the edge of the balcony—she had always been deathly afraid of heights; she didn't even dare ride a roller coaster at an amusement park.

She gripped the balcony railing with trembling hands, took a breath, and stepped onto the chair she had prepared.

The backpack pulled heavily on her shoulders. As she braced herself to sit on the railing, the pack snagged against it. Her body lurched, and it felt as if her heart and stomach contents were about to slide right out of her throat. She steadied her breathing with great effort, her palms drenched in cold sweat.

Even while drunk, she dared not look down, keeping her gaze fixed on the city skyline.

In the distance, traffic rolled through the buildings, and countless headlights blurred into bright color blocks in the hazy drizzle. The cool, fine rain hit her skin, and Jin Xueli worried that the cold might wake her up, stripping away the numbness she so desperately needed.

...Time to go.

She sat on the railing, her back to the neon lights of Blackmoor City, watching her own reflection in the glass door and the faint outline of the living room behind it.

"I’ll be back soon," Jin Xueli whispered to the apartment. "Wait for me."

She closed her eyes, leaned back, and fell straight into the cool night air of early November.