Yan Luo broke through the seawater and surfaced, taking several deep breaths before forcefully swimming towards the cliff.
He swung out his hand axe and drove the spike on the back of the axe into the cliff’s surface, using it to stay afloat in the sea.
Immediately after, Yan Luo sent a rescue signal to the official team of the Hunter Skills Contest.
Participants who send a rescue signal to the official team don’t lose their scores. A city-breaking level mutant creature is worth 5000 points, and by killing that giant wild bull, Yan Luo essentially ended the contest.
He saw no need to continue competing; this was his plan from the very beginning.
—Take care of that giant wild bull, then send the rescue signal.
From the outset, Yan Luo left himself no room for retreat.
Even though the sponsors of the Hunter Skills Contest put in a city-breaking level mutant creature to deal with him, they were not bold enough to openly break the contest rules.
Besides, he had already conquered all the spectators with his performance. Even the pettiest sponsors wouldn’t dare to trouble him at this moment, as it would only lower the audience’s view of the Hunter Skills Contest.
Not long after Yan Luo sent out the rescue signal, an aircraft descended from the sky, hovering above him.
The hatch of the aircraft opened, releasing several hooks connected to ropes. Yan Luo attached the hooks to the appropriate clips on his exoskeleton, and the ropes swiftly contracted, pulling Yan Luo’s body upward.
Once Yan Luo was pulled into the passenger cabin of the aircraft, a crew member wearing an exoskeleton nodded at him and stepped forward to help remove the hooks.
Yan Luo opened his breathing apparatus and raised his goggles, sitting wearily on a chair and quietly asked, "Will the contest be concluded early?"
The staff member was momentarily startled, tilting his head as if listening to someone else, before returning his attention and nodding, "Contestant Yan, you’ve already scored 6000 points, theoretically other contestants can’t surpass you, so the contest will conclude early. In fact, my boss just notified me that our aircraft will be picking up several other contestants on the return journey."
"Alright, I’ll nap for a bit..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Luo’s eyelids completely closed over his eyes, instantly falling asleep.
The crew member was taken aback; if not for Yan Luo’s breathing, he would have thought Yan Luo had suddenly died.
But indeed, twenty-six hours of marathon, twenty-six hours of calculation, intertwined, creating a nearly perfect hunt.
Yan Luo, as a mere mortal, successfully hunted a city-breaking level mutant creature without using any super-spec weapons, relying solely on his own strength and wisdom. Anyone who watched his entire hunting process would be in awe of him.
The crew member glanced at the sleeping Yan Luo, refraining from disturbing him, even slowing his steps as he departed.
Next, when picking up the other contestants, he’d specifically instruct them not to disturb Yan Luo’s sleep.
Yan Luo didn’t sleep long; he opened his eyes as the aircraft landed.
He just realized after opening his eyes that his body was almost immobile.
He sighed and gave a command to his exoskeleton: "Activate assisted mode."
With the help of the exoskeleton, Yan Luo stood up, though pain from his body’s joints stimulated his brain.
The remaining contestants in the cabin couldn’t help but glance at Yan Luo.
Their expressions were complex, as their boss’s mission for them had failed, but it wasn’t their fault.
From the moment they learned about the presence of a city-breaking level mutant creature in the arena, these contestants realized their boss had personally intervened. The boss’s intervention was because Yan Luo’s scoring speed was way beyond their control.
Their boss deduced that if they didn’t intervene to stop him, Yan Luo would smoothly end the contest, so they placed a city-breaking level mutant creature.
However, Yan Luo’s subsequent performance stunned the entire world!
On Blue Star, there has never been a catastrophe-level mutant creature; city-breaking level is the pinnacle of mutant creatures, yet Yan Luo managed to hunt it down as a mere mortal.
In every aspect, Yan Luo’s prowess is undeniable.
The other contestants in the cabin found it hard to harbor resentment towards Yan Luo. Instead, they had a slight admiration for him, though Yan Luo’s presence made them feel awkward.
The aircraft door opened, and Yan Luo was the first to step out.
The cold demeanor on his face shattered the moment he disembarked, as the crowd before him erupted into a sea of screams and cheers.
"Yan Luo! Yan Luo! Yan Luo!"
The crowd chanted Yan Luo’s name in unison, even though many hadn’t learned Chinese.
Yan Luo stared stupefied at the scene, clueless.
The aircraft landed on an open ground in Phoenix City, surrounded by a throng.
If not for the program’s security leading the intelligent machines to maintain order, countless people might have rushed to Yan Luo at first sight to touch his exoskeleton and body.
Even so, many stood beyond the fence, stretching out their hands like zombies famished to the extreme craving for the vitality of a living human, the fervor in their eyes almost igniting into flames.
At this moment, a microphone was handed over from the side, reaching Yan Luo’s mouth.
"Hey, Yan Luo, how do you feel right now? Is there anything you’d like to say in front of such a scene?"
Previously in charge of the pre-competition interview, the host, ’Chatterbox’ Rom, stood by Yan Luo’s side, winking at him.
Yan Luo pondered for a moment, then said to the crowd, "I did what I set out to do."
He said he would win this competition, and now he truly achieved first place.
The moment Yan Luo spoke those words, Rom’s heart skipped a beat, almost having his mind seized by this charismatic man.
The cheers and screams paused for a moment and then erupted with even greater volume.
"Ah! Yan Luo! Yan Luo!!"
"Yan Luo, I love you, marry me! I don’t care how many lovers you have, as long as you marry me!"
"If marrying Yan Luo means I have to live in a villa and become a millionaire, I’m willing!"
The security and intelligent machine defenses arranged by the program faced immense pressure as the frenzied crowd attempted to climb over the fence. Luckily, whenever they did, the fence would automatically rise slightly.
Yan Luo then added: "As for now, I want to rest."
Rom reacted quickly, knowing that if Yan Luo stayed any longer, it might cause a bigger commotion. He immediately addressed the crowd, "Yan Luo is very tired, he needs to rest. After he wakes up, we will conduct an interview with him, so please stay tuned to the program’s announcements!"
Afterward, Rom disregarded the surrounding hisses and shouts, escorting Yan Luo into a car to swiftly leave the venue.
The program originally planned to conduct a post-competition interview here, where they would randomly select audience members for questions, a tradition of previous events.
But this year, Yan Luo’s performance was too outstanding, making the tradition unsuitable, so Rom took the liberty to postpone the post-competition interview.
Fortunately, the program’s director wasn’t incompetent, instead commending Rom’s actions.
Yan Luo’s popularity was too significant, necessitating a separate post-competition interview!
Unlike Yan Luo, the contestants who emerged from the aircraft afterward went unnoticed by everyone.
They looked at the dispersing crowd helplessly, their hearts filled with unspeakable pain.
In previous times, their fans would await them here, cheering their names, waving their flags.
But now, everything had been taken by Yan Luo.
He was like a black hole, quietly devouring everything that came near.
Whether it be popularity, fans, or money...