Chapter 46: The Hunger Games Begin
After traveling back and forth between the world of "The Princess Diaries" twice, Jake finally managed to haul everything out of the mansion.
A massive holographic device, a cutting-edge futuristic computer, and other luxury items—it was an incredibly successful heist. His estate had been transformed into a paradise with a classically elegant exterior and a super-futuristic interior.
Jake even dismantled a large, dreamlike bathtub, following the instruction manual step by step.
He truly lived up to his reputation as a one-man wrecking crew, leaving nothing but emptiness in his wake.
Shortly after Jake returned to the party from his quick theft, the mansion's owner discovered her home had been burglarized—even the bathtub was stolen. It would be impossible not to notice.
She quickly contacted security, but didn't connect the incident to Jake.
Because Jake left empty-handed; if he had stolen it, where would he have put the three-foot-tall holographic device, and where would he have hidden the bathtub?
...
Time passed quickly, and a week flew by in the blink of an eye.
Jake seemed to have truly integrated into this world, participating in training, practicing with his clumsy knife work, ignoring the mocking sneers of those around him.
He also flirted with Katniss, and "Catnip" had become a nickname Jake gave her.
During this time, to put Katniss at ease, Jake also subtly demonstrated his abilities. His assassination techniques, learned from the decades-experienced hitman Leon, allowed him to easily conceal himself, move silently, and carry out lethal strikes. Being an assassin wasn't just about using guns.
The combat knife was merely a decoy; given a slightly sharp stick, he could find an opening in an enemy's defenses and take them down!
This was strategic deception; careful calculations were still required. In Jake's view, this was like the aggro management techniques used in MMORPGs.
...
Finally, the Hunger Games officially began.
The sky was clear, and the wind was strong.
The 24 tributes were carried to the arena by a strange aircraft. This was Jake's first time using a flying machine in this world, and he could only summarize it as: incredibly fast.
At this stage, with his current strength, it was difficult to overthrow the government of this nation.
On the aircraft, everyone was injected with tracking devices. Looking at the red dots flashing under the skin of his wrist, Jake frowned, considering finding an opportunity to remove it.
Meanwhile, in the control room filled with various electronic equipment, as each tribute was injected with a tracking device, a large screen in front of a group of white-clad technicians continuously updated data: "All online."
"Good, one minute remaining," Seneca clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Conduct the final system checks."
Seneca was the Head Gamemaker for the Hunger Games, the architect of the entire deadly competition.
However, he himself was unaware that he was already under someone's control. During a meet-and-greet with all the Hunger Games tributes, that handshake was more than just a simple greeting.
On Jake's side, after disembarking from the aircraft, led by guards in white bodysuits and pure white motorcycle helmets, he walked alone to a small, sealed room.
The entire room was stark white, with a circular metal platform inside. Jake stood on it, and a round glass cylinder lowered, enclosing him.
It looked as if a person was standing inside a giant pneumatic tube.
The glass cylinder began to slowly rise, and after about fifteen seconds, everything went dark until Jake felt the metal platform push him out of the tube and into the arena.
The intense sunlight outside momentarily blinded him, and the faint scent of pine trees drifted through the air.
The wind was calm; there was no sign of a gale.
This was because they weren't in the wilderness, but in an indoor arena; the clouds, the sun, even the wind—everything was artificial!
A broadcast announced that all the tributes had to remain on the circular metal platform for sixty seconds until the gong sounded before they could begin their sprint.
One second too early, and a landmine would blow off their legs!
Within those sixty seconds, all the tributes formed a circle, standing equidistant from the central pile of supplies—the Cornucopia.
The supply pile was filled with all sorts of survival necessities: food, medicine, water, and weapons, such as the bow and arrows Katniss needed, and the weapon Jake ostensibly needed—a jet-black combat knife made of high-quality steel alloy...
Of course, the placement of these items was strategic; the closer they were to you, the less useful they were, while those closer to the center were of higher quality.
There was an alloy cylindrical water bottle thirty feet in front of Jake, but he clearly had no intention of grabbing it.
In the crowd, Jake also spotted Katniss, her eyes fixed on the bow and arrows in the very center, clearly eager to make her move.
She wanted that bow, completely disregarding the survival skills taught to her by Haymitch.
Then, the countdown ended, and the gong sounded!
Everyone sprinted out instantly. As Jake had predicted, Katniss didn't immediately flee to find water and escape the bloodbath; instead, she ran towards the bow and arrows.
After bouncing on his toes twice, Jake waited until everyone was thirty feet away before taking a step.
Assassins aren't brawlers; direct confrontation isn't an assassin's style.
Behind him lay the forest. If he ran in the opposite direction into the woods, it would become his domain; anyone who followed would surely die!
Just as Jake was about to turn and flee, he discovered Katniss was in danger. She and the boy from District 9 were running towards a backpack, grabbing it simultaneously. Suddenly, the boy coughed.
Katniss's face was splattered with blood, and the boy, a knife piercing his chest, staggered and fell to the ground.
The other tributes had already begun slaughtering each other.
Katniss was completely frozen. She might know death was terrifying, but she couldn't quite comprehend its true horror.
While Katniss was lost in shock, the girl from District 2 targeted her.
She held a throwing knife. Jake had witnessed that deadly accurate throwing technique firsthand during training. If he had a gun, he could take her out easily. Now, he could only avoid her.
However, seeing Katniss in danger, Jake realized he couldn't stand idly by.
What would happen to this movie world if the protagonist died? He wasn't sure,
but he genuinely cared about this girl, and watching her die in front of him was absolutely unacceptable!
So Jake charged forward, incredibly fast. He had mastered the technique of explosive acceleration over short distances, a skill taught by Leon.
From a distance, Jake, suddenly leaping off the circular metal platform, looked like a black panther, his rapidly moving feet tearing up the soft, muddy ground!
His sudden action drew the attention of the other tributes present. The initial bloodbath was over; aside from those who had managed to escape, six people remained.
Bodies littered the ground.
Besides Katniss and Jake, the remaining four were clearly working together—two guys and two girls from Districts One and Two.
"Well, well, well, let's see—is the knife guy going to play hero?" The boy from District One, Cato, held an axe, his muscular physique straining against his uniform.
It was said that Districts One and Two were lapdogs of the Capitol, and now it seemed that was indeed true.
Watching the four people slowly advance and release Katniss, Jake stopped, his face expressionless.
"Run, Catnip," Jake whispered to Katniss, who had finally snapped out of her shock. The arena was quiet; the two weren't far apart, separated only by four people.
The scene before him made him feel somewhat uneasy.
The two opposing women—one wielding a bow and arrow, the other with throwing knives—while the two guys, strong and muscular, were perfect human shields.
This made Jake's next move difficult.
The four Career tributes ignored Katniss, still grinning wickedly at Jake. Clearly, toying with the weak prey was more entertaining at this moment.
Katniss watched Jake slowly being surrounded, bit her lip hard, stood up, grabbed her backpack, and ran into the woods. If you looked closely, you'd see her lips trembling, as if she were whispering something to herself, "Next time, I definitely won't leave you behind!"
Only after watching Katniss disappear into the forest did Jake truly breathe a sigh of relief.
And the four Career tributes before him were now openly baring their fangs at Jake!
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