Apocalypse Gachapon - Chapter 1825: Stop chasing

When this five-person tracking squad lost Ye Zhongming’s trail for the first time, each face was filled with gravity.

Hawkins’ words still echoed in their ears.

He had said that this man, who had temporarily lost an arm, not only intended to escape but to kill them.

Everyone believed it because all signs indicated that this man had the ability to leave quickly in a short time, yet he still kept them hanging on without hurry.

Half an hour ago, the previously very obvious traces he left had disappeared.

The five of them cautiously searched around, no longer knowing which direction to go.

“We could choose a direction and continue the pursuit. If after some time we still haven’t found him…”

Before Wade could finish this sentence, he was interrupted by Aimusi.

“Just stop looking? Have you forgotten your brother was killed by him just hours ago?”

Wade’s face flushed red all the way down to his neck.

Of course, he wanted revenge. He had practically raised Hofkaf from a child into a nine-star evolved; it was no exaggeration to say their relationship was both brotherly and fatherly.

Hofkaf’s death meant too much to Wade—not only had he lost a relative, but also a companion, comrade, disciple, subordinate, and more.

He longed to cut off Ye Zhongming’s head and, slowly, bit by bit, crush it to pieces!

But he was acutely aware of the current situation.

This was the universe’s races’ novice battlefield, not Earth, where they could run rampant. Ultimately, this was a process of self-improvement.

Succeed, and they might truly gain a foothold among the universe’s myriad races; fail, and it meant death.

If that were the case, it would be better to have stayed on Earth as an ordinary eight-star evolved.

“Aimusi.” Wade suppressed his anger, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. “What I meant was, we choose a direction and continue the pursuit. If we catch him, then we kill him. The place Hofkaf held in my heart is nearly equal to that of your child! I’ve been by his side since the day he was born, right up until today!”

Aimusi shrugged and said nothing more.

“Believe me, I want to kill that Cloud Peak King just as much as you do, very, very, very much. But!”

“You and I both know what this place is and what our ultimate goal is, right?” Wade grew somewhat agitated as he spoke, gesturing with his hands.

“If we don’t find Ye Zhongming, we should go hunt prey, earn points, raise our rankings from the bottom, maintain this situation, then gain more points, exchange for what we need at the camp, and finally become top contenders on the leaderboard!”

“Not like now, aimlessly tracking, wasting everyone’s time.”

Hawkins’ expression darkened; he felt his wife had been insulted.

“Hawkins, perhaps what I said was too direct, but I have ample reason to support my words. In fact, reality is even grimmer than what I described.”

Wade decided to lay it all out. He pointed to his eye and said, “According to the recorder, our rankings are within the last five hundred. There are nearly twenty thousand people ahead of us! The three-day period involves the elimination of the lowest ranks! No one knows how many will be eliminated—maybe just the last person, but given the numbers, that’s clearly impossible. So perhaps ten? A hundred? Five hundred? Or maybe one percent or two percent of the remaining participants?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, I know you are very powerful, but if we continue chasing and after three days still haven’t caught him, what then? Get eliminated? Okay, say we’re lucky and we catch him. By then, our rankings will definitely have dropped further, maybe even to the last few spots. Will there be enough time left for us to escape the elimination zone?!”

The harsh reality left the others silent. Little girl Yaka and the Netherrealm Star Domain native looked at the Hawkins couple; clearly, Wade had struck a chord.

“The novice battlefield is long, with seven cycles totaling twenty-one days. We have plenty of time to find Ye Zhongming. The urgent matter now is to avoid elimination first.”

Wade’s tone softened. He could tell from their expressions that he had likely persuaded them.

“Also, the novice battlefield is actually a place to improve strength quickly. That man’s left arm is severely injured now. Although his points are decent currently, it’s imaginable that he won’t gain much in the next two days. When he returns to camp, he’ll need to spend points to treat his injuries. That will bankrupt him. Believe me, his injuries aren’t so easily healed.”

Wade raised his hands and waved them; everyone knew he was referring to the toxicity in his attacks.

“As for us, we’ll have many points and will become much stronger. The gap between our strength and his will continue to widen. When we hunt him again, it will be much easier.”

“Naturally, there’s also the curse you two placed on him. Each day, another effect adds up, and it can’t be treated at camp. So, if he isn’t dead in three days, we can continue to follow and see where he teleports. Wouldn’t that be easier?”

This last point resonated with the Hawkins couple. They wanted revenge, but they couldn’t be reckless.

“One more thing.”

The Netherrealm Star Domain native added from mid-air, “You can look at the points of those ranked in the top hundred, and those with red names who have killed more than three newcomers.”

After a pause of a few seconds, assuming everyone had checked, he continued, “We can’t let hatred cloud our judgment. The top-ranked lifeform already has over three hundred points, and the top six are all very close. Either all top six are lives with super strength, or those six have teamed up and completed many incredible hunts. As for those below, the hundredth rank has over two hundred points, nearly ten times more than us. If we don’t push harder, it will be too late to catch up later. Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, with your strength, wouldn’t you be dissatisfied without making the top hundred? Perhaps even… punished?”

“None of your business!” Aimusi retorted, lifting her head, but she soon lowered it again.

Reality forced her to yield.

After a long moment, under everyone’s gaze, Aimusi reluctantly said, “Recall the other two. Let’s go earn points first. We’ll deal with that yellow-skinned monkey after the second cycle begins!”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t die these two days!”

After speaking, the group somehow notified their other two companions, then changed direction and headed off to another side.

About half a minute later, a figure emerged from where they had left—none other than Ye Zhongming, the man they wanted to kill.

“Giving up for now, are they?” Ye Zhongming sneered coldly in the direction his opponents had gone. “You chase when you want, stop when you want? It’s not that easy~~”

After saying that, he also sped off rapidly in that direction.