The Night of Hunting Games

People once naively thought that highly advanced alien civilizations would abandon human vices and seek peace and rationality. However, they quickly realized how wrong they were.

The universe is just a larger, colder jungle where the law of the jungle not only persists but becomes even more refined and cruel. At this moment, those beings beyond human comprehension are excitedly looking up information about Earth's natives and carefully calculating their bets.

A feast is about to begin.

A face that could belong to either a fifteen or twenty-five-year-old girl, heavily made up, eyes sparkling with excitement, chirped,"Finally, another hunting game! Since the rules were limited to the arena last time, I haven't seen such an exciting scene in a long time!"

An almost identical face, accurately speaking, another head on her shoulder, echoed excitedly,"I'm so bored! This time I must make a big profit!"

Not far away, a fat alien gambler slumped in his seat, his massive body almost filling the entire space. He used an elephant trunk-like organ to slurp cola from the table, then skillfully inhaled a cigarette through his nostrils, typing rapidly on the keyboard as data streams and images flashed on the surrounding screens.

He was a smart gambler, using technology to grasp the game's trends as much as possible.

On the screens, scenes alternated: wide-angle views of the jungle, close-ups of buildings...

At the focus of the images, a school was surrounded by dense forest, like black tides eroding the small clearing. The network of paths trampled by villagers meandered towards the school, like a web woven in the dark, waiting for prey to stumble in.

As a miniature surveillance drone approached, the camera focused on two red dots—a father and son.

"Dad, I'm scared. Can we take the main road?" The boy's voice trembled.

"What are you afraid of? Look, there are so many neighbors ahead, Grandpa Zhao, Uncle Li, and even many children. If we walk faster, we can catch up with them!" The father patted his shoulder, his tone relaxed.

"But Dad, I still feel something's wrong..."

The father stopped, blinking,"Really? Alright then, we'll take the main road—but we might miss out on a lot of delicious food!"

The boy hesitated for a second, a struggle in his eyes. After a moment, he mustered his courage and puffed out his chest,"Okay! Dad, I changed my mind! I'm a big boy now, I have to be brave!"

So, they entered the dark path.

The villagers gradually merged into the shadows of the trees, as if swallowed by a silent beast. The boy instinctively held his breath, no longer glancing around but focusing on the path ahead. He gripped his father's hand tightly, his fingers growing cold.

On either side of the road, branches twisted in the wind like ghostly nightwalkers, silently reaching out but never quite touching them.

Another image emerged, showing another dark path.

A villager hurried along, head bowed, eyes nervously scanning his surroundings. He heard the rustling of leaves in the darkness, and tales of ghosts involuntarily filled his mind. Taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace, shaking off those absurd thoughts.

In the distance, firelight flickered in the forest, twisted shadows dancing on the trunks as if they had come alive. They resembled wandering spirits, bony fingers stretching out, seemingly trying to hook every passerby, only to dissolve into nothing at the moment of touch.

He shook his head, banishing those strange ideas, a slight smile forming on his lips.

Tonight, he would see that girl again.

Her smile, her scent, like the chimes in the night breeze, echoed in his mind, driving him forward.

Suddenly, a pair of hands gently rested on his shoulders.

His heart skipped a beat, and he grinned,"Stop joking, I saw your husband up ahead!"

But when he turned, his smile froze.

In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes gleamed, and sharp teeth instantly sank into his throat.

"Ah—oh… glug…"

He opened his mouth to scream, but only muffled choking sounds emerged. Blood gushed out, sliding down his neck and soaking his collar.

Instinctively, he tried to struggle, but his shoulders felt nailed down by iron hooks, and moving caused excruciating pain.

The intense pain quickly blurred his consciousness. He glanced down at his chest—a bloody hole slowly opened there. Something was chewing in the darkness, and he could even hear the sickening "crunch crunch" sound.

Sharp fangs pierced his throat, and his breathing stopped abruptly. Fear froze in his eyes as the light of life gradually faded.

In his final moments of awareness, a question flashed through his mind—

"What is this creature? A dark wolf? No… it's scarier than a dark wolf… I've never seen anything like it…"

His body stiffened, blood dyed the ground red. The darkness devoured everything.

The surveillance drone high in the sky faithfully recorded everything.

The fat gambler smacked his lips and rolled his eyes disdainfully,"These natives are too weak... Guess I can't bet too much."

With his silent sneer, the drone silently adjusted its direction, continuing deeper into the dense forest, searching for more interesting "prey."

In the woods, the night wind swept through like a ghost, stirring up dry leaves with a rustle, as if countless spirits were whispering. The air was thick with decay, damp and nauseating. In the distance, an unknown creature growled low, its sound echoing through the forest like it came from the underworld, chilling to the bone.

Alex slowed his steps. He could feel it—something was watching him from the darkness, the sensation of being targeted was like needles pricking him. He lightened his steps, holding his breath, letting his heartbeat thunder in his ears.

"Crack—"

A sharp sound suddenly exploded in the bushes, as if the darkness could no longer contain its hunger and extended its fangs.

Alex stopped abruptly, his gaze like a knife towards the source of the sound, shouting,"Who's there?!"

The darkness remained silent, the wind suddenly picking up, swirling leaves in a wild dance. The shadows of the trees swayed in the dim moonlight, as if something was slowly approaching in the shadows... A shiver ran down his neck, as if a cold claw would rest on his shoulder any second.

The flicker of the campfire in the distance swayed, brightening and dimming, like a faint light in the abyss, guiding the only way out.

Alex didn't hesitate any longer, he dashed towards the firelight, his footsteps making a crisp sound on the dry leaves and branches.

The campfire's light ahead flickered, the branches by the road twisted in the wind like ghostly nightwalkers, stretching out like hungry demons' claws, chasing after Alex's steps, always just missing by a bit.

"Rustle—"

The sound behind him came again, this time closer!

He quickened his pace, his heartbeat drumming urgently. Suddenly, he stumbled, falling forward, his knee crashing to the ground, pain radiating through his body. But he couldn't afford to feel it, quickly flipping over, staring ahead vigilantly.

From the depths of the darkness, a blurry shadow suddenly lunged at his face!

-----------------

At the same time, on the other side of the forest, two unsuspecting villagers were unknowingly approaching hidden danger.

They were the eldest and second brothers of four, Darek and Dylan, who grew up in this forest, familiar with every hunting path and hidden trap, having caught countless beasts. However, tonight's forest felt different... They had never encountered wolves here, let alone so many pairs of eyes watching them.

Darek was a steady and cautious man, with a long scar from shoulder to chest, a mark from a fight with a brown bear in his youth. He saw it as a badge of honor. As the eldest, he always analyzed situations calmly, observing before acting, never reckless. His low voice carried a warning:"Something's odd today. Why are there so many beasts? Be careful, don't startle them. Let's slowly back away."

In contrast, Dylan was more impulsive, a natural marksman who never missed. Bold and youthful, he grinned at Darek's words,"Brother, are we afraid of a few wolves? Why don't we charge and take them out? It's not our first time dealing with beasts."

They moved with broad shoulders and light steps, exuding the aura of seasoned hunters. Dylan carried a large clay pot, filled with fragrant stew, steam escaping through the lid, contrasting sharply with the forest's damp cold.

"Brother, I told you we should have brought some wine!" Dylan muttered, licking his lips.

Darek glanced at him, his voice steady,"Don't worry, at the party, the old brewer will definitely bring some good wine. We'll find him."

Dylan's eyes lit up, giving a thumbs up,"You're smart!"

Just then, a low growl interrupted their conversation. Darek instinctively looked up, his gaze freezing—

Around them, pairs of eerie green eyes had appeared.

Wolves.

Wild wolves!

Darek put an arm out to stop his excited brother, his voice low,"Don't move."

Dylan was stunned, hearing the low growls around them. His heart sank, memories of past battles with beasts flashing through his mind, making his palms sweat. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, whispering,"As long as we don't run, they won't attack."

Darek nodded lightly, his eyes scanning the darkness quickly. They crouched down, moving silently, snapping branches from the nearby bushes, thick as an adult's thumb. Darek gripped the branches, feeling their rough texture, recalling his experience hunting wolf packs. Dylan instinctively reached for his arrow bag, but was shocked to remember it was left at home for the bonfire party.

Though he kept his eyes fixed on the wolves, sweat trickled down his forehead.

The two stood back to back, forming a natural defensive stance, even placing Dylan's clay pot carefully between them—after all, they still wanted to attend the party once the wolves were gone.

"Roar—!"

The air tightened as an impatient dire wolf arched its body, muscles tensed, growling menacingly. The next second, it leapt, its sharp fangs lunging at the brothers!