The Juggernaut System

Chapter 5: A Walking Bag of Cash

[Dead Man’s Isle - A Narrow Cave]

The taste of lukewarm water had never been so sweet.

Alex leaned against the damp rock wall of a small, hidden crevice they had found. He took another small sip from the plastic bottle, swishing the liquid around his dry mouth before swallowing.

"Don't drink it all," he muttered, screwing the cap back on tight. "We don't know when we'll find more."

Opposite him, Sarah—the nurse—was kneeling on the dirt floor, her hands busy. She had torn a strip of clean cloth from her petticoat and was wrapping it around Alex’s forearm.

"The cut isn't deep," Sarah whispered, her voice still trembling slightly. "It stopped bleeding quickly. Your... your skin. It’s tough. Like leather."

She looked at him with a mix of fear and awe. She had seen the knife slice his arm. It should have cut to the bone, but it only left a shallow gash.

"Adrenaline," Alex lied briefly. He didn't want to explain the [Iron Skin] skill.

"There. It's the best I can do without stitches," Sarah tied the knot and sat back, hugging her knees. She looked at Alex’s blood-spattered face. "I'm Sarah. I was... I am a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital."

"Alex," he replied, closing his eyes to rest.

"Alex... why did they choose you?" Sarah asked softly. "That woman on the screen... she hates you."

Alex let out a dry, humorless laugh. He opened his eyes, and for a second, the cold killer instinct faded, replaced by a deep, aching sadness.

"Because I was blind," Alex said, staring at the cave entrance. "I thought I found an angel. Turns out, I was just a toy for a devil."

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly, a high-pitched feedback noise screeched through the jungle, silencing the birds and insects.

[SCREEEECH!]

The loudspeakers hidden in the trees crackled to life.

"Attention, campers!"

It was Alice again. Her voice was cheerful, echoing through the darkening forest.

"Congratulations on surviving the first hour! The current death count is... 23 Pigs and 2 Butchers. Wow, better than I expected!"

Alex clenched his jaw. Twenty-three people dead. Just like that.

"But things are getting a little boring," Alice continued playfully. "So, let's spice it up. I have a special announcement for our dear Hunters."

Alex had a bad feeling. He instinctively gripped the handle of his combat knife.

"I am placing an open bounty on Participant Number 100—Alex," Alice announced clearly. "To the Hunter who brings me his head... I will pay an extra Ten Million Dollars and grant you an immediate VIP extraction from the island."

Silence.

Then, from the depths of the jungle, a roar of excitement erupted. It sounded like a pack of wolves realizing there was a wounded deer nearby.

Ten million dollars. That was enough to retire. Enough to live like a king.

"Did you hear that?" Alice’s voice turned dark and sultry. "Find him. Kill him. Bring me his head."

Click. The broadcast ended.

In the cave, the air grew heavy.

Sarah stared at Alex, her face draining of color. She scrambled backward until her back hit the wall.

"They... they are all coming for you," she gasped. "You have a target on your back. A massive one."

"I know," Alex said calmly. He stood up, dusting off his pants.

"You should leave," Alex looked down at her. "Stay with me, and you'll die. If you hide here alone, you might survive until morning."

It was a test. And it was a mercy. Alex knew that fighting with a civilian burden against a horde of greedy assassins was suicide.

Sarah looked at the dark jungle outside. She heard distant shouting, footsteps crashing through the brush, moving in their direction.

Then she looked at Alex. He was the only person who had fought back. He was the only reason she wasn't being tortured by that giant right now.

She swallowed hard, standing up on shaky legs.

"No," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Out there... I'm just a sheep. With you... maybe I have a chance."

She grabbed the backpack with the water bottles. "I can carry the supplies. I can watch your back. Just... don't leave me."

Alex studied her for a moment. He saw the terror in her eyes, but also a spark of survival instinct.

"Fine," Alex turned to the cave entrance. "But stay close. And if I say run, you run."

[System Warning!]

[High Threat Levels Detected.]

[Multiple Hostiles approaching from East, West, and South.]

The System’s blue text floated in his vision, blinking red.

"They're here," Alex whispered.

He stepped out of the cave, the combat knife held in a reverse grip.

The jungle was darkening as twilight set in. But in the shadows, he could see them.

A pair of glowing night-vision goggles.

The glint of a machete.

The heavy breathing of men who smelled money.

"There he is!" A rough voice shouted from the trees. "The ten-million-dollar man!"

Three figures stepped out from the bushes, blocking their path.

One held a crossbow. One held a chained flail. One held a pair of sickles.

They weren't the careless, arrogant killers from before. These were professionals who worked in a team.

Alex smirked. He felt the blood pumping through his veins. The [Basic Dagger Mastery] was itching to be used. The [Strength +4] was begging to be tested.

"Sarah," Alex said, not looking back.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Close your eyes."

Alex kicked the ground, launching himself forward like a cannonball.

The hunt wasn't over.

The farming had just begun.