SOLAK Chapter 11

It was obvious the man had no intention of answering He Huan’s question. He just kept attacking her.

While he struck, his eyes never left her. That gaze—He Huan knew it too well.

It was the look one gave a doomed ant. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge her words, much less answer them.

He Huan sighed.

She really did prefer peace.

This wasn’t the first time He Liang had laid hands on another resident. In just three days of exploration, his bloodthirsty nature had been fully awakened.

And with the stealth-tracking skill he had drawn, he could easily conceal his form and presence. Lurking in the grass and waiting to pick off weakened prey had become his favorite pastime.

Failure? For him, that was almost impossible.

From the moment he entered this world, every ambush he’d attempted had ended in success.

What’s more, he carried healing potions and weapons. That only made him more reckless.

Today his luck had been especially good. Not long after stepping out, he ran into a resident faintly glowing red.

That meant the resident had blood on their hands, and they had been the one to start the fight.

In the Dark Night World, attacking peaceful residents carried punishment. If you killed one, you accrued Sin Value.

That Sin Value manifested as a faint red glow. It was barely noticeable in daylight, but under the cover of night, it was glaringly obvious.

Thus, residents with blood on their hands were called Red Names.

During the time Sin Value lingered, killing a Red Name carried no penalty for the killer.

Not only that—because of the Sin Value curse, a Red Name’s belongings were left unprotected.

Normally, when a resident died, only their backpack would drop. Their skills and equipment were safe.

But a Red Name? Everything dropped—backpack, gear, even skills.

In other words, a Red Name was a walking target. Killing one meant no punishment and huge profit.

After three days in the Dark Night World, this was no longer a secret.

So every Red Name moved with extreme caution. At the slightest sign of danger, they vanished.

He Liang had gotten lucky yesterday too. At nightfall he’d run into a Red Name who had just finished a fight, their stamina and health already low. He cut them down easily.

The sharp dagger in his hand right now? Looted from that very corpse.

Originally, He Liang had planned to spend the day gathering resources and upgrading his shelter.

But fate had smiled again: the moment he stepped outside this morning, he ran into another Red Name.

He immediately activated his stealth skill, tailing her with the plan to strike after she’d worn herself out in battle.

Unexpectedly, this Red Name never fought. She just kept gathering.

And her luck was absurdly good—she collected plenty of food along the way. Most importantly, He Liang watched her open a bronze chest.

The moment that chest appeared, his eyes went red. He couldn’t restrain himself.

Normally, He Liang’s policy toward Red Names was simple: kill if possible, flee if not.

But this one? This one was a fat sheep begging to be slaughtered.

Not only had she gathered plenty of supplies, now she was standing before a ruined house, claiming its inheritance.

Collecting inheritance required channeling time. It was the weakest moment for any resident.

He worried she might be higher level, which would complicate things. But once he struck, he realized she was only level two. That gave him even more confidence.

They traded blows, but neither gained the upper hand.

He Liang didn’t want to drag this out. He hurled the combat skill he’d obtained yesterday straight at her.

[Shock: Roar at your target, overwhelming them with your might. Stuns for three seconds.]

But just as he opened his mouth to unleash the skill, the Red Name he’d been pressing back smiled at him.

And then…

He Liang never even knew what happened.

One moment he was ready to stun her. The next, he was flying through the air, kicked skyward by her long legs. Like a shuttlecock, he was juggled mid-air by a storm of kicks, again and again.

Finally, he crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.

From his perspective, he had no idea what had just transpired. His only sensation was pain—indescribable, consuming pain.

He Huan looked down at He Liang sprawled in a crater on the ground. Only then did she gracefully lower her leg and stroll toward him. She gazed at his battered face, now almost unrecognizable.

“Why were you following me?”

He Liang lay on his back, still gripping the dagger. His blurry vision filled with her face.

She was unnervingly calm, her eyes carrying a hollow indifference.

He longed to move, to leap up and drive the blade into her.

But he couldn’t.

Not after realizing most of the bones in his body had shattered during that airborne beating.

Now, all he could feel was agony. Movement was impossible.

He Huan saw the blank stare, no reaction at all, and sighed with mild disappointment.

It seemed she’d hit too hard. He was too broken to even answer.

“Tsk.”

Clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction, she had planned to end him quickly.

But to her surprise, that little sound flipped some switch inside him. He suddenly panicked and began to beg.

“I was wrong, sis, forgive me! I didn’t mean to attack you!”

The naked killing intent rolling off her crushed him. He couldn’t resist the instinct to grovel.

He Huan raised a brow.

It was as if they shared a silent understanding. Immediately, He Liang poured out everything, confessing the whole reason he’d stalked her.

Only then did He Huan notice the Sin Value marker on her status panel.

Last night she’d only heard the notification, not realizing Red Names dropped everything. She hadn’t even noticed any glow on herself.

Most likely only other residents could see it.

A nasty little trap in the system.

He Liang had never spoken so quickly in his life. His eyes never dared stray from hers, terrified she’d finish him at any moment.

He licked his dry lips and pleaded, “Sis, I swear everything I said is true. You’re not in danger from me. I just saw a Red Name and thought I could stab you a few times.”

“We don’t have any personal grudge. Killing me won’t benefit you. If you do, your Sin Value will rise. Too much Sin Value, and you’ll be permanently red—no way to wash it off.”

“I swear I won’t reveal your location. Please trust me!”

Persistence paid off.

Bit by bit, he saw her expression soften, her killing intent thinning. Hope stirred in his chest.

Survival was close. Just a little longer, and he’d make it.

He Huan lowered her eyes, as if wavering. “Really? You’ll keep quiet?”

Hearing that, He Liang knew he was saved. He nodded furiously. “Yes, sis! Remember my name—He Liang! If I lie, you can come kill me anytime!”

At the same time, he secretly sent a message:

“Red Name woman in Zone 4 Fog Area. Tons of food, plus a bronze chest. Hurry, bring more people. She’s tough. I’ll stall her.”

He Huan smirked. Lifting her gaze, she looked at the meager resource pile nearby.

Not long ago, it had been an intact house. She had been happily preparing to inherit it.

She should have received a mountain of resources. Instead, all that remained was a pitiful little heap.

Like her retirement funds—meant to sit safely in her bank account, yet gone to some cruel twist of fate.

Every time she thought about it, her mood soured.

He Liang kept talking. “Sis, my shelter’s only seven hundred meters away. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you there. If I betray you, you can come wreck the place yourself!”

“Please, sis! Believe me! I really wasn’t targeting you!”

He Huan smiled gently. “Thank you for telling me about Red Names.”

Her voice was calm, almost like the harmless girl-next-door.

Relieved, He Liang smiled too. “No, no, it’s my honor to help.”

He Huan nodded. “Alright, I’ll let you go.”

“Thank you, sis! Thank you!” His eyes shone, his face twisted in uncontrollable joy. He’d survived!

“Fair’s fair,” she added lightly. “Let me give you some advice too.”

He Liang perked up. “What is it?”

Her smile bloomed bright. “Next time you see a Red Name, keep your distance…”

Before the last word faded, her foot hooked his dagger.

The blade seemed to grow eyes of its own, spinning in the air before plunging straight into his throat.

His eyes widened. He didn’t even manage a final word, disbelief frozen on his face.

He Huan bent down, smoothly pulling the dagger free.

“After all, Red Names kill.”