Seeing Vik disappear from his bedroom, Silas breathed a sigh of relief. He then glanced at the ashes of Sword One with fear. Gathering some courage, he stood up and opened a secret cabinet from his bed. Inside was a device meant to contact the Lin family. He had lied to Vik, but just as he was about to use it, Vik returned.
When Vik came back into the bedroom, he looked at Silas and said, "Sorry, I forgot my cat. Pushpa is still here." However, when he saw me again, he was so frightened that he fainted. Vik tried to wake him up, but then he heard a voice in his head.
System: "Host, he is dead. He died from a heart attack."
Upon hearing this, Vik quickly took Pushpa and teleported back to the mansion. Poor Silas, may his soul rest in peace. Unknown to Vik, the device Silas had tried to use before his death was still working. Whoever was on the receiving end might have received information about Silas's situation. But Vik didn't think about this; he was already moving toward the next part of his plan.
Pov: Vik
Now back at the mansion, I first checked on Sherry and Layla. Once I confirmed that they were doing fine, I teleported back to the anonymous hall. There, I saw Lina. She lit up with excitement when she saw me. She was surrounded by various weapons and crates of ammunition. Bullets were just as important as guns.
As she walked out from the pile of weapons, she stood in front of me and said, "Master, I made all the weapons you need for the plan. I also made some other tools. If you want, I can give you a brief about them."
I smiled and said, "Okay, you can give me a brief. But first, I'll call your senior brothers, Lu Xiaoran and Roman. It will be better for them to see how to use these weapons. While we're at it, we can also give them some training on aiming."
After saying this, I left her and went to the Body Cultivation Hall. There, I saw both Lu Xiaoran and Roman still training. They greeted me and bowed. Without wasting any more time, I took both of them to Lina and asked her to explain the different weapons.
First, she pulled out a pistol from the pile. I recognized it immediately; it was the iconic Glock 17 with 17 bullets in its magazine. She explained everything about the bullet and how to use it.
After her explanation, I told Lu Xiaoran and Roman to use the pistol. I set up some targets 50 meters ahead of them. With their heightened senses as cultivators, they easily hit the targets. Then, I moved the targets and increased the distance for more challenge.
We then walked back to Lina. Since the pistol was just a small arm, there were more weapons she needed to explain. Two weapons caught my attention. One was the most modern rifle I had seen in my previous life: the Chey Tac M200, a top-of-the-line sniper rifle. The other was the legendary Karabiner 98 Kurz, also known as the Kar98.
I immediately slung those weapons over my shoulders and decided to take on the sniper role for this mission. All I needed was a camouflage suit to hide my body, and we would be set.
After training them more with a good assault rifle, I told them we were going to execute our plan. If I waited any longer, there could be serious consequences. Who knows, maybe tomorrow Lin Chen would acquire the treasure from the Azure Mountain Range and become stronger than me. Just then, I heard the system's voice in my head.
System: "Host, it's not natural for a Chosen One like Lin Chen, classified as a level 1 Chosen One, to grow so much in such a short time. Your fate and your disciples' fate must have influenced him to get stronger. He now senses a serious threat from Lu Xiaoran, and that treasure is a big clue. I'm sure that treasure is destined for him in later stages of his story, but he is very close to obtaining it now."
After hearing that, I asked the system a question that had been on my mind. "System, you said earlier that Chosen Ones have their destinies protected by the heavens. No one can influence their paths, at least not negatively. But from what Silas told me, Lin Chen's father left him in this city with a plan. Everything seems prearranged. There's also an unknown individual who informed him about his Chosen One status. What is going on?"
System: "Host, I'm as surprised as you are. As far as I know, influencing a protagonist is almost impossible unless fate allows it. Even we as a system cannot do this. For example, if a protagonist is destined to become a villain and destroy their world, we cannot change that by influencing it. But as you said, these things are happening. Perhaps this is Lin Chen's fate."
Vik: "I didn't expect that, system. What if there's a way to create an artificial Chosen One?"
System: "Host, it's impossible."
Despite the system's denial, I didn't change my thinking. I still had my doubts about Lin Chen and his status as a protagonist. Every time I saw him or heard his story, I felt like his journey was too generic, almost like someone had artificially created him. Even his actions seemed scripted.
Even if he is a protagonist, he doesn't seem to use much of his brain. He behaves like a hero from a story, as if he is programmed to maintain that image. Another point that puzzled me was how easy it was to plan against Lin Chen. So far, I hadn't faced any real problems with my plans. I hadn't even tried to force Lin Chen into a corner because of his status, yet everything had gone smoothly. This was too unnatural.
But it was too late to reconsider my plans. It was time to execute. Looking at my disciples, who were all geared up in tactical suits, weapons, and additional equipment, I teleported all of us outside the Azure Mountain Forest.
It was nighttime, and the clock read 10 o'clock. But what captured my attention most was the full moon in the night sky. I glanced at the beautiful moon and began this night hunt.