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Chapter 39: "Damn it, why isn\'t this guy following the normal timeline?!"

"Danger avoidance" ascended to "Absolute Premonition";

Within the game system, Jonathan\'s repeated utilization of intuition to accurately predict future developments prompted the enhancement of his innate gift.

This affirmed that the fleeting thought of the cultist murderer suspects targeting him was not a baseless concern but an existing reality.

The killer had come to San Diego solely because of him.

What was his purpose? Why seek him out? How had he learned of his existence?

Upon returning home, Jonathan entered the bathroom to shower, the water cascading over his head as though cooling his fevered mind.

From the police warrant, he learned the cultist murder suspect\'s name was Semanuick, and he was quite certain he had never crossed paths with anyone by that name before.

Had it not been for the task assigned by the system, had Semanuick not tainted Jonathan\'s life, their destinies would have run parallel, never intersecting.

Their sole intersection lay in the "task." Jonathan resolved to hunt Semanuick, who became his prey. When Jonathan accepted the task and determined his quarry, their relationship was no longer that of strangers but hunter and hunted, their fates converging.

Why would a stranger like Semanuick seek him out?

With no enmity or conflicts of interest between them, Jonathan was absolutely certain that Semanuick\'s arrival spelled trouble. As a cultist, it was implausible for him to journey to San Diego merely to befriend him.

Jonathan could only empathize from his standpoint, pondering the implications of Semanuek\'s actions.

Jonathan was headed to LA because Semanuick was there, intending to kill. Could it be that Semanuick, in coming to San Diego at this critical juncture, sought to murder as well? Was he after him?

Now, that was intriguing indeed.

Jonathan\'s impulse to kill stemmed from the task issued by the game system; what then was the catalyst for Semanuick to come to San Diego to kill him?

In this matter, there could be no coincidence. A string of coincidences merged to become an inevitability. Assuming Semanuick\'s objective was to slay him, what had provoked Semanuick\'s murderous intent?

Hatred and murderous desires do not emerge without reason in this world. Jonathan wracked his brain but could not fathom when or how he had offended Semanuick so gravely that he resolutely ignored the distance, fearless of the pursuing police, just to reach his city.

Could it be that the game system had also issued a task to Semanuick? This seemed somewhat implausible. The game system\'s tasks were usually vague, and Semanuick\'s objective was far too explicit—he was coming for him. The hypothesis of the game system issuing a task seemed tenuous but not entirely impossible... Jonathan decided to keep this notion in reserve.

Jonathan and Semanuick shared no history; even if they have, it would only exist in some future timeframe.

Surely, it couldn\'t be that Semanuick could foresee the future, predicting a future enmity between them that led to his murderous intent?

Wait... this explanation seemed somewhat plausible.

With a start, Jonathan turned off the shower, grabbed a towel to dry his hair, dressed, and exited the bathroom before picking up his phone to call Diema.

"Hello? Diema, something came up today. Let\'s meet another time," Jonathan said.

"Alright," Diema replied, "just don\'t cancel next time, okay?"

"I promise. Oh, by the way, the neighborhood\'s been a bit unsafe lately. A murderer escaped and made their way here. Did you see this morning\'s news?" Jonathan cautioned, "Don\'t open the door to strangers."

"I know, I\'m eighteen already!" Diema laughed.

Diema was likely a player; the young girl was rather cunning and tight-lipped, and her actions were nearly flawless. Diema would be vigilant without Jonathan\'s reminder if she received a regional task.

Near Diema\'s home was a large supermarket with diverse kitchenware. Jonathan planned to purchase a handy knife; he could not be without a weapon when Semanuick was in San Diego, danger lurking so near.

After showering, it was only half past nine, and Jonathan donned his coat before heading to the large shopping center near Diema\'s home to peruse knives in the household goods section.

The store seemed to promote kitchenware, and a saleswoman enthusiastically introduced various models of kitchen knives. Jonathan listened to her descriptions, inspected the labels indicating the materials on the back of the packaging, tested the sample blades himself, and finally proceeded to pay.

This knife was an affordable option with a relatively low price and decent craftsmanship and was composed of an ordinary alloy rather than Damascus steel. It should suffice for a day\'s use.

Jonathan paid for the knife, went to the restroom to remove the packaging, and concealed the blade by slipping it into his waistband and covering it with his clothing. Feeling the solid sensation against his waist, his sense of security instantly increased.

The sensation of having a weapon at hand was distinct from being unarmed; he momentarily breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Semanuick ventured to Diema\'s neighborhood again, finding a blind spot in surveillance and stealthily climbing over the fence when no one was paying attention.

The hunter would come today, and according to the timeline of their previous encounter, he would arrive at the girl\'s home around dusk.

To avoid crossing paths with the hunter, Semanuick had arrived at Diema\'s home early for two reasons: first, to prevent a head-on confrontation like last time, and second, to allow ample time for extracting information.

Semanuick had learned from his past mistakes, resolving to obtain the hunter\'s real name and home address this time. The girl was a child, and he hadn\'t had time to employ cruel methods in his previous interrogation. However, should he apply even the slightest pressure, she would surely crumble under his questioning.

Semanuick had considered other means of gathering information about the hunter without resorting to torture, but he couldn\'t conceive of any other methods. Surely, he couldn\'t simply stake out the residential entrance and follow the hunter, could he? His previous experience had taught him that tailing was ineffective, as the hunter was far too perceptive. Semanuick\'s crude tracking skills were like child\'s play before him, easily exposed in mere moments.

Semanuick dared not make another sacrifice to ask the gods for the hunter\'s location, as he could not endure the erosion of madness twice within a few days, nor did he dare to kill too many people, leading the hunter to track him down too quickly.

His goal was to get information, only information. Once he obtained the information, he could kill Diema and leave her gruesome corpse for the hunter to find when he arrived. What would the hunter\'s expression be like then? Anger, hatred, despair?

But it would be too late; Semanuick planned to flee before the hunter reached Diema\'s home, hiding in a safe place, waiting for the death cycle count to reset. In the meantime, he could investigate the area around the hunter\'s residence, selectively killing those close to him, making the hunter watch helplessly as they died one by one. Kidnapping the people around the hunter might be a good option, too, as he wanted to slowly torment the hunter\'s nerves and watch him crumble in rage.

The roles of prey and hunter would be reversed! The hunter would no longer toy with him as a cat plays with a mouse!

Once the death cycle reset, Semanuick planned to steal a gun and send the hunter to his demise with a single magazine of bullets. The mere thought of that scene made Semanuick struggle to control his laughter.

With a grin plastered across his face, Semanuick arrived at the entrance to Diema\'s building, crouched down, and entered the stairwell through the fire escape. Then, his smile suddenly froze as he saw the hunter descending the stairs.

They locked eyes as they crossed paths in the narrow space.

Semanuick thought: Damn it, why isn\'t this guy following the normal timeline?!